Manchester City vs Watford preview - City set to welcome Watford without Wilfried Bony - 7M sport

Manchester City vs Watford preview - City set to welcome Watford without Wilfried Bony



Posted Friday, August 28, 2015 by PA

Manchester City are without striker Wilfried Bony for the visit of Watford in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.

Bony suffered a cut leg in training and has been pictured wearing a protective boot but he is expected to be fit after the upcoming international break.

Midfielder Fernando (groin), Pablo Zabaleta (groin) and Gael Clichy (ankle) remain injured, Nicolas Otamendi (work permit) is still not available and Marcos Lopes has left to join Lille.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini has been unwilling to speak about the club's interest in Wolfsburg's Kevin de Bruyne.

Klaus Allofs, director of sport at the German club, has revealed City have made an "astonishing" offer for the 24-year-old former Chelsea playmaker and discussions are thought to be ongoing.

But Pellegrini, who has consistently refused to speak about transfer targets, said: "You must continue asking but the answer for the question is the same. I don't talk about rumours."

Pellegrini was similarly unwilling to speak about his side's testing Champions League draw, which has pitted the club against Juventus, Sevilla and Borussia Monchengladbach.

The Chilean deflected a question on the matter by referring to Saturday's upcoming Barclays Premier League clash with Watford.

"All the groups are difficult and the most difficult team in the group is Watford," he said.

City are looking to maintain their 100 per cent start to the campaign and can set a new record of 10 successive wins by beating the promoted Hornets.

Pellegrini said: "It is a difficult game. They have played three games in the Premier League and three games they have drawn.

"They have a very good manager and good players and the great mistake we could make in this moment is to think that, because we won the last three games, we will win this game."

Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores is hopeful of securing further signings but remained coy on links with Rennes midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Watford have started brightly on their return to the Premier League with three draws from three games, including points against Everton and Southampton.

Off the pitch, however, Flores admitted he is facing a nervy wait to put the finishing touches to his squad.

The Hornets have already made more than 10 signings in the summer, while a more ins and outs still expected.

Flores said: "We are working very hard to incorporate a couple of players.

"I hope everything will be solved this week. The players we can keep, we keep finally with us; players that have to come, they come, and the players that have to go, they go to good teams.

"There are lot of players in our squad who don't know if they are going to stay or going to move out.

"They need to solve the future. For me it's not comfortable. I'm not happy at the moment."

When asked specifically about interest in Doucoure, who made his Ligue 1 debut in the 2012-13 season but appears surplus to requirements this term, Flores added: "I know this player but I don't like to talk about names until it's sure that they are coming."

Watford are preparing for arguably their biggest test of the season, a match against Manchester City, with Flores set for a reunion with an old rival in Manuel Pellegrini.

The pair have crossed paths in La Liga previously, Flores as a former Valencia and Atletico Madrid manager, Pellegrini as an ex-Real Madrid, Villarreal and Malaga boss.

Flores added: "I don't remember exactly all the games against Pellegrini. I respect Pellegrini like a person, like a coach.

"I played a lot of times against Villarreal, Real Madrid, with Atletico Madrid, with Valencia.

"In these type of games, I always remember a tough competition. We won sometimes, Pellegrini won sometimes. It was balanced."



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