MY ACCOUNT
The last thing that the team sitting second bottom of the Premier League would want, with just six games remaining, would be a trip to face the league leaders.
That is the challenge facing Watford as they make the journey to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City on Saturday.
The head-to-head stats also make it even harder to consider an away win, with the Hornets having lost their last 14 matches against City.
But all may not be lost for Roy Hodgson’s men, who have reasons to be hopeful for their trip north.
City’s recent home issues
Pep Guardiola’s side have been surprisingly sloppy at the Etihad in recent months, with City winning just three of their last six home games in all competitions.
Those three victories came against a completely out-of-sorts Manchester United, a defensive Atletico Madrid outfit and via a second-half blitz against Brighton in midweek.
The other three games saw them concede three times in defeat to Tottenham, be held 0-0 by Sporting in the Champions League and twice throw away a lead against Liverpool in a 2-2 draw.
So there have been uncharacteristic slip-ups on home soil and with the pressure mounting in the title race, so does the expectation.
Hornets offer more sting on the road
Watford have only collected 22 points from 32 games so far this term, but it is worth noting that 15 of those have come on the road.
The Hertfordshire outfit currently boast the worst home record in the division but have a more respectable away tally — ahead of the likes of Newcastle, Leicester and Southampton.
Four wins and three draws have been claimed away from Vicarage Road and they have picked up seven points from their last five away games.
Performances have been much better on opposition turf, with a recent 2-0 defeat at Liverpool a much closer game than the scoreline suggests.
Hodgson’s tactical nous
A particularly interesting fact heading into Saturday’s game is that all three of Roy Hodgson’s Premier League wins over City have been in Manchester.
He twice won at the Etihad with Fulham, while the former England boss also claimed a victory over Guardiola’s men when he was in charge of Crystal Palace.
Very few are expecting the Hornets to gain anything from the match, but Hodgson will believe and he will be fully focused on using all his experience to find a chink in the City armour.
Watford have also received a welcome fitness boost this week, with William-Troost Ekong back available.
The Nigerian defender has not played for the Hornets since the African Cup of Nations.
