Manchester City will look to continue their dominant start to the 2015-16 season when they host Watford at the Etihad on Saturday.
Pellegrini’s men have been unstoppable so far, winning all of their three opening games, while scoring eight and having yet to concede a goal. They head into this encounter following impressive wins over West Brom, reigning champions Chelsea and Everton.
Newly promoted Watford have also enjoyed a decent start to the campaign, remaining unbeaten ahead of their trip to the Eastlands. Quique Flores’s team will head to Manchester after two consecutive goalless draws at home and they will hope to be able to get a surprise result out of this one.
Even with City’s staggering run to begin the campaign, the Sky Blues can be well assured that they will not find it easy to break down a shrewd Watford. The Hornets face their toughest test yet, with Pellegrini’s men only looking to get better as the weeks progress.
Key Battle – Vincent Kompany vs Troy Deeney
The City skipper has enjoyed an inch-perfect three games so far, having already scored two goals while also putting in rock-solid performances at the back. After a disappointing last campaign, Vincent Kompany looks to be fit and hungry for success. The Belgian international was flawless at the back, keeping the likes of Diego Costa and Romelu Lukaku at bay in his last outings. He will come up against another tough opponent in Troy Deeney, who’s physical presence might prove to be slightly worrying.
Deeney is yet to get off the mark this season, but Watford fans should not worry too much considering their skipper has reached 20 goals in each of his last three campaigns. Even though those goals might have come in the Championship, there is no denying the 27-year-old is a proven goal scorer. Last season saw the Englishman net 21 times in 42 league appearances and he will be hopeful to open his top-flight account against what looks like the meanest defence in the league.
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Team News
City only have one first choice omission to report, with Pablo Zabaleta missing up to a month with a knee injury. New signing Nicolas Otamendi might be anticipating his first start for, but is unlikely to replace either of Pellegrini’s current centre-backs considering their fine form.
Manchester City Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Hart, Sagna, Kompany, Mangala, Kolarov, Fernandinho, Toure, Jesus Navas, Silva, Sterling, Aguero.
Quique Flores will have three absentees for his side’s trip to Manchester. Defenders Joel Ekstrand and Lloyd Doyley miss out through injury, while Miguel Britos is suspended following his red card against Preston North End in the Capital One Cup.
Watford Expected XI (4-2-3-1): Gomes; Nyom, Prodl, Cathcart, Holebas; Capoue, Behrami; Anya, Ighalo, Jurado; Deeney.
Head-to-head
There have been 12 league meetings between the two sides, with City winning five of them and Watford four. The remaining three encounters have ended as draws.
Previous Meeting
The sides last met in the 2013-14 FA Cup at the Etihad, ending in a 4-2 victory for the hosts. City came from two goals down at half-time to secure progression, as Sergio Aguero netted a hat-trick while Deeney also got onto the score sheet.
The last league meeting between the two was way back in the 2006-07 campaign, ending in a 1-1 draw.
Prediction
All logic points towards a comfortable home victory for the Sky Blues, but you canot write off Watford just like that. The Hornets have shown a fighting spirit since their promotion and will be eager to cause a major upset. City’s recent past has shown that they are susceptible to unpredictable losses to lower opposition, and they will be specially wary to not drop any unnecessary points with Chelsea starting to show signs of life.
Manchester City 4 Watford 1
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