Next Saturday, January 25, 2014, Manchester City will entertain the Championship side Watford at the Etihad Stadium for the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Citizens are enjoying a fantastic moment in all competitions, while The Golden Boys are far from achieving the same consistency they had last season, as they are frozen in the 15th place of the Championship table.
Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City is a goalscoring machine. The team has already managed to score more than 100 goals in all competitions so far this term and the players look thirsty for more. The Sky Blues are on an 18 match unbeaten run and they will surely want to extend that run to next Saturday’s match against Watford. It is likely that the Chilean boss will implement some changes in the team, due to next Wednesday’s Premier League complicated match at White Hart Lane, giving some more match time to some important players such as Stevan Jovetic and Sergio Aguero, who have recently recovered from injury.
In the medical department, there are no major problems for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, except for Samir Nasri, who is still recovering from a long term injury. Nevertheless, Alvaro Negredo, who is suffering from a shoulder problem, will probably be given some extra time to rest in order for him to be fully fit for next Wednesday’s match against Tottenham.
As for Watford, the FA Cup match seems to be a reenactment of the battle between David and Goliath, although, the outcome is likely to be slightly different from the Biblical episode. The Hornets have defeated Bristol City at Vicarage Road during the last FA Cup round, although the team’s career in the Championship is far from being impressive. Watford is on a three match row without a win and their last victory was on Boxing Day on a home match against Millwall.
Watford’s head coach, Giuseppe Sannino, will have some problems to build up his team for next Saturday’s clash. The suspension of the Italian defender Gabriele Angella and the injury of the experienced Brazilian midfielder Iriney, will force the Italian manager to implement some changes on his side’s defence and midfield lines, and will probably rely on Almen Abdi and Lloyd Doyley to replace them.
Manchester City vs Watford Prediction
Manchester City’s incredible home record so far this term almost annihilates any hopes of a frail Watford that will have all odds against them for next Saturday’s match. This being said, the most likely outcome is 4-0 for Manchester City.
Manchester City vs Watford TV Info
The match highlights will be televised on ITV (UK) at 22:45 GMT.
Manchester City 4-2 Watford Highlights
