Watford hosts Manchester City at Vicarage Road on July 21, 2020, in an all-important match for the home team.
The Hornets are looking to secure their spot in the Premier League next season while the Citizens are looking to book a second-place finish in the 2020 EPL season. Watford defeated Norwich City and Newcastle in their last two home assignments and those wins should give them some confidence heading to this contest. Meanwhile, Manchester City is coming off a loss in the FA Cup and an unimpressive win over Bournemouth in their last Premier League assignment.
Watford is currently in 17th place in the English Premier League standings with a record of 8-10-18 and a total of 34 points earned from their matches. The Hornets, however, are currently just three points ahead of 18th place Bournemouth and 19th place Aston Villa and could find themselves in danger if they drop their next assignment against Manchester City.
Watford lost to Aston Villa last Friday, July 17, 2020, and is now getting close to returning to the relegation zone. Watford isn’t just three points off 18th and 19th place but if Aston Villa or Bournemouth pick up solid wins in their next assignments and Watford loses to Manchester City, there’s a good chance that Watford will return to the relegation zone. Given their tough assignment next, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Watford fall in the coming week.
Troy Deeney leads Watford in scoring with a total of nine goals scored this season. Ismaila Sarr has netted five times while Abdoulaye Doucoure has found the back of the net four times this season. Gerard Deulofeu leads the Hornets with a total of five assists on the year. Etienne Capoue and Sarr each have three assists for Watford.
Watford is ranked 15th in the Premier League in defense with a total of 57 goals conceded this term. The Hornets are 18th overall in scoring with a total of 34 goals scored this year. They are also ranked 18th in passing with a total of 20 assists on the year and are 17th in goal difference at a -23 on the season.
Manchester City is firmly in second place in the Premier League table with a total of 73 points earned from a record of 24-3-9. While they have already lost the title to Liverpool, they are firmly in second place and are a wide 12 points ahead of third-place Chelsea in the team standings. The Citizens were unimpressive in their last Premier League assignment, a 2-1 win over struggling Bournemouth.
Manchester City is coming off a big upset loss to Arsenal in the FA Cup semifinals last Saturday, July 18, 2020. The Citizens were the defending FA Cup champions and were heavy favorites heading to the contest. But +800 Arsenal pulled off the huge win behind a brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Manchester City controlled 65% of ball possession but the Gunners took advantage of every opportunity they had. After losing the EPL title, City has also lost the FA Cup and now will look forward to next month’s Champion League tournament.
Raheem Sterling leads City with a total of 17 goals scored on the season. Sergio Aguero has found the back of the net 16 times while Gabriel Jesus has netted 13 times this year. Kevin De Bruyne leads Manchester City with a total of 18 assists on the year while also scoring 11 goals. David Silva has 10 assists and six goals this season for the Citizens while Riyadh Marez has scored 10 goals and nine assists as well.
Manchester City is the highest-scoring team in the Premier League with a total of 93 goals scored on the year. They are 2nd overall in goals conceded with a total of 35 this term. The Citizens are the top passing team in England with a total of 65 assists on the year. They are also first in goal difference at +58 on the season.
Watford has two wins in their last five Premier League assignments while Manchester City had dropped only one of their last five league matches. Head to head, City holds a 15-4-3 record against Watford in 22 matches played. The Hornets have conceded a total of 33 goals in their last seven encounters against Manchester City.
The Citizens have won the last five meetings between these two teams with an aggregate score of 22-3. The reverse fixture between these two squads ended in one of the most one-sided scores in the history of the Premier League. Manchester City literally destroyed Watford 8-0 in a game where they scored from the 1st minute to the 85th minute of play.
Right-back Daryl Janmaat and winger Gerard Deaulofeu will not be available for the Hornets in this contest due to injury. For Manchester City, second-leading scorer Sergio Aguero is out for the rest of the season but outside him, City doesn’t have any major issues with health.
Watford has all the pressure on them in this match. With relegation at stake, they will be shaky and nervous coming to the pitch. Meanwhile, Manchester City’s place in the Champions League is secured and they will be aching to bounce back from their disappointing loss to Arsenal. Sure, this Manchester City team isn’t as dominant as it was in recent years but it’s still very good, especially offensively. Watford simply cannot match up with them and I like Manchester City to come up with a big win here.
Prediction: Manchester City
The last seven meetings between these two sides across all competition have yielded a total of over 2.5 goals. Manchester City has scored at least two goals in five out of their last six Premier League assignments. The total has also gone over in seven out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams, including the last three. The over is also 6-3-1 in the last 10 matches played by Watford including 3-1-1 in their last five home matches. The over is also 10-7-1 in Manchester City’s 18 away games played this season. I like these teams to score over 2.5 goals in this contest.
Prediction: Over 2.5 goals (-225). Odds from Bet365 as of 07/19/2020
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