Man City vs Watford Match Analysis & Prediction
24/09/2024 9:45 pm
A match that will trigger many a painful memories for the visiting crowd, Manchester City and Watford meet in Tuesday night’s EFL Cup third-round tie at the Etihad Stadium.
A competition that used to be a foregone conclusion during the earlier years of Pep Guardiola’s Man City reign, the Premier League champions are yet to add another EFL Cup title to their tally since a remarkable fourth in a row – and their eighth overall – in the COVID-affected 2020-21 campaign.
Man City have swapped EFL Cup medals for shinier Champions League and Club World Cup accolades over the past couple of years, although they have evidently lost their knockout nous in this competition, only getting as far as the quarter-finals since the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
Guardiola’s bid to regain EFL Cup supremacy last year memorably ended at this exact stage to Newcastle United, but not since 1987 have they suffered back-to-back third-round eliminations, and the high from the weekend’s absorbing events may not have worn off a little over 48 hours later.
For over 45 minutes of Sunday’s second half with Arsenal, the Gunners’ 10-man low block appeared impenetrable, only for substitute John Stones to score Man City’s latest-ever Premier League goal on record in a 2-2 draw, one which keeps the Citizens at the top while simultaniously ending their 13-game winning run in the top flight.
Erling Haaland’s record-breaking 100th Man City goal preceeded Stones’ beldam-inducing equaliser – as well as Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes’ efforts in between – but the Scandinavian sensation will surely have to wait for number 101 as the hosts work with just one full day rest.
Now under the wing of a man who briefly made his mark on the red side of Manchester, Watford travel to the Etihad having slightly lost their way under Tom Cleverly, who oversaw a magnificent start before September brought a month of sorrow.
Watford won each of their first five competitive matches under the former Man United midfielder, including a 5-0 thrashing of MK Dons and a 2-0 victory over Playmouth Argyle in the earlier EFL Cup rounds to reach the third round for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
However, that win over Plymouth on August 27 represents Watford’s most recent win in any setting, as they have only taken one point from three Championship matches this month, losing to Sheffield United and Norwich City either side of a home draw with Coventry City.
Saturday’s defeat to Norwich was particularly chastening for Cleverly, whose side were beaten 4-1 by the Canaries to leave them outside of the top six in eighth place, although still just one point outside of the playoffs at this early stage.
Man City vs. Watford Head to head
In the previous 25 meetings between these two teams, Man City have claimed 18 victories while Watford have won four, and they have drawn in three. Watford have scored 19 goals and conceded 69 in the process.
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18/05/2019Manchester City6Watford0FA Cup
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21/09/2019Manchester City8Watford0Premier League
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21/07/2020Watford0Manchester City4Premier League
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04/12/2021Watford1Manchester City3Premier League
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23/04/2022Manchester City5Watford1Premier League
Man City Team News
In what may go down as the most forgettable appearance of his career, Rodri went down twice on Sunday – after a clash with Kai Havertz and then an apparent serious knee injury.
A full 11 changes cannot be ruled out by Guardiola, who could also plunder the club’s U21 ranks to help fill his selection for Tuesday’s tie, where the highly-rated Nico O’Reilly could play a prominent role.
Man City's Last 5 Matches
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24/08/2024Manchester City4Ipswich Town1Premier League
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31/08/2024West Ham United1Manchester City3Premier League
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14/09/2024Manchester City2Brentford1Premier League
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18/09/2024Manchester City0Inter Milan0Champions League
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22/09/2024Manchester City2Arsenal2Premier League
Watford Team News
Watford goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann and centre-back Francisco Sierralta were both taken off within just a few minutes of each other in the first quarter of the game against Norwich.
Kevin Keben (knee) is out of contention for the Hornets, while striker Daniel Jebbison is cup-tied, having played for Bournemouth in the second round before his loan mover to Vicarage Road.
Watford's Last 5 Matches
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24/08/2024Watford2Derby County1Championship
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27/08/2024Watford2Plymouth Argyle0League Cup
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01/09/2024Sheffield United1Watford0Championship
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14/09/2024Watford1Coventry City1Championship
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21/09/2024Norwich City4Watford1Championship
Man City vs. Watford: Odds and Predictions
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