Manchester City will be hoping for a less hectic outing at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday as they take on Championship side Watford in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
The Cityzens were saved by a last-gasp John Stones strike in their thrilling bout against a dogged Arsenal side on Sunday. Stones’ 98th-minute effort rescued a point for Pep Guardiola’s men after the Gunners had overturned a 1-0 deficit in the first half.
The contest showed Arsenal remain City’s equals, with another back-and-forth title race expected between the pair this season.
As a result, Guardiola will place this competition pretty far down on his list of priorities. The Carabao Cup was once dominated by the perennial Premier League winners, but they’ve endured early exits in each of the previous three seasons.
They’ll be hoping to stroll to victory in midweek and advance into the fourth round, but Watford look set to exceed expectations in the second tier and may give the hosts a few things to think about. The Hornets currently sit eighth in the Championship after an excellent start, but they have gone off the boil in recent outings and were thrashed away at Norwich on Saturday.
Here’s 90min’s guide to Tuesday’s Carabao Cup clash at the Etihad.
Man City vs Watford H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
How to watch Man City vs Watford on TV and live stream
Man City team news
With City’s schedule condensing, Guardiola will make wholesale changes to his starting XI for Watford’s visit. The Spaniard should combine experience with youth.
Rodri was unlikely to start on Tuesday anyway, but the knee injury he sustained on Sunday in the draw with Arsenal looks to have ruled him out for the rest of the season. Kevin De Bruyne also won’t be risked after missing the weekend but the Belgian will return to the fold soon.
Oscar Bobb and Nathan Ake are also sidelined due to injuries.
There should be starts for Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, with Nico O’Reilly among the academy stars set to earn a place in Guardiola’s XI for this cup tie.
Man City predicted lineup vs Watford (4-2-3-1): Ortega; Lewis, Stones, Simpson-Pusey, Wilson-Esbrand; Nunes, Wright; O’Reilly, McAtee, Grealish; Foden.
Watford team news
Doubts remain over the severity of the injuries sustained by goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann and centre-back Francisco Sierralta in the first half of Watford’s 4-1 defeat to Norwich at the weekend. Neither will be expected to feature at the Etihad, however.
Kevin Keben misses out due to a knee injury, while Daniel Jebbison has already featured in the competition for Bournemouth this season and is cup-tied on Tuesday.
Watford predicted lineup vs Man City (3-4-2-1): Bond; Morris, Pollock, Porteous; Andrews, Dele-Bashiru, Sissoko, Sema; Chakvetadze, Baah; Bayo
Man City vs Watford score prediction
City have struggled in back-to-back games against tightly-packed defences, but Watford have their work cut out if they’re to match the defensive discipline shown by Inter and Arsenal.
The hosts are seemingly always vulnerable in Rodri’s absence and Watford will fancy their chances of at least having a couple of moments in Tuesday’s cup tie. City have kept just one clean sheet since the opening weekend of the season.
The Hornets may make this one more competitive than many are projecting, but City just don’t lose at the Etihad.
