Manchester City head to Vicarage Road on Saturday looking to maintain their Premier League title push with three points against Watford.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side slipped up last time out as they were held to a draw in a top-of-the-table clash with Leicester City, and so they will naturally be desperate to get back to winning ways as soon as possible in order to keep the pressure on their rivals.
In contrast, the hosts will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing defeat to Tottenham on Monday which ended a five-game unbeaten run that included four straight wins.
That impressive run of form lifted Quique Sanchez Flores and his men up to ninth in the Premier League table, and they will certainly hope to kick on in 2016 and not only ensure their safety in the top flight but to possibly secure a top half of the table finish.
Nevertheless, they won’t be looking beyond this game and they will be hopeful of taking advantage of City’s defensive frailties with captain Vincent Kompany sidelined through injury.
In turn, Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney will be expected to be give the likes of Elaqium Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi a torrid time, while in contrast, Pellegrini will hope that Sergio Aguero can spearhead his attack and ensure that his side don’t drop any more points.
While City will turn their attention to cup competitions next week with League Cup and FA Cup outings, they will be desperate to start 2016 with a win and build momentum in what is shaping up to be a fascinating title race with Arsenal and the Foxes currently holding a three-point advantage.
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