Watford v Manchester City

Posted Saturday, January 02, 2016 by foxsportsasia.com

Watford face a tough test on Saturday as they look to get back to winning ways when they host Manchester City at Vicarage Road in the Premier League.

The Hornets have performed admirably in England's top flight this season after earning promotion from the Championship last term, but saw a five-game unbeaten run come to an abrupt halt when they lost 2-1 to Tottenham in their final game of 2015.

With the general consensus being that clubs need 40 points to be safe from relegation, Watford's total of 29 from the first half of the season means they can probably start looking on to bigger and better things than just avoiding the drop.

A strong performance against City will go a long way to convincing their doubters the first 19 games were no fluke.

A 0-0 draw with high-flying Leicester in their last game of 2015 saw the Citizens fall three points behind Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table and they will want to start the new year off on a positive note.

City began the season with five straight wins without conceding a goal, leading many to feel they would run away with the championship, but struggles with consistency since then have seen the Manchester club fall a bit behind in the race for the title.

They have the best record at home this season, winning eight of their 10 games at the Etihad, but they have been seriously let down by their form on the road, winning just three of their nine fixtures away from home.

Citizens full-back Gael Clichy has a slight knock and will miss the match along with injured pair Vincent Kompany and Samir Nasri

Watford will be without full-back Nathan Ake after he was sent off against Spurs, which means Jose Holebas is in line to play his fifth game of the season for the club.