Manchester City welcome Championship side Watford to Etihad Stadium for their EFL Cup third round fixture. Given the gulf in quality, Tuesday’s clash is likely to be a mismatch with the Citizens expected to ease to a comfortable victory.
This will be the first appearance in this year’s League Cup for Manchester City, who will be keen to make a statement after crashing early in last season’s competitions. Pep Guardiola’s men are looking solid again this term and have lost just once across all competitions.
Manchester City head into Tuesday’s clash off the back of a 2-2 home draw with Arsenal in a Premier League fixture on Sunday. They will be particularly disappointed in the result having played the second half with 10 men and will be keen to make a swift return to winning ways.
Watford breezed through the first two rounds of the League Cup, although they are yet to face any topflight side. They began their campaign with a 5-0 thrashing of MK Dons before claiming a 2-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle in the previous round.
Things have not been particularly smooth for Watford lately as they are winless in their last three matches. Tom Cleverly’s men have been beaten twice in that run and suffered a 4-1 defeat at Norwich City in a Championship fixture on Saturday.
How the bookies view it: Easy pickings for Citizens
The bookies have installed Manchester City as overwhelming favourites, with a home win priced at 1/7 by Betfred. An unlikely victory for Watford is valued at 14/1 by Betfred while a draw is set at odds of 13/2 by Betfred.
Head to head: Always a mismatch
Manchester City often get the better of Watford and have won the last 15 meetings. The most recent fixture at the Etihad was a Premier League clash in 2022 which ended 5-1 in favour of the Citizens.
Players to watch: City's sturdy defence
With Manchester City expected to be dominant, they are likely to be untroubled at the back. The likes of John Stones and Ruben Dias should feature in defence and can ensure City keep a clean sheet at 8/11 with Betfred.
Manchester City are known for their attacking quality led by the prolific Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker often has support from the likes of Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Savinho and all three men can help the Citizens to produce over 1.5 goals at 1/5 with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Manchester City are likely to ring in the changes on Tuesday with the likes of John Stones, James McAtee and Matheus Nunes pushing to start. Haaland remains the only out-and-out striker for City and is also expected to feature.
Watford defender Francisco Sierralta went on injured on Saturday and joins Jeremy Ngakia and Kevin Keben on the sidelines. Ryan Porteous is likely to start after replacing Sierralta on Saturday while Daniel Jebbison should continue in attack.
Manchester City: Ortega, Lewis, Dias, Stones, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Nunes, Grealish, McAtee, Foden, Haaland
Watford: Bachmann, Pollock, Porteous, Morris, Andrews, Dele-Bashiru, Sissoko, Sema, Chakvetadze, Vata, Jebbison
Anything else catch the eye?
Meetings between both sides are usually one-sided and Manchester City could be backed in the -2 handicap market at 23/20 with Betfred. A win to nil for the hosts could also be considered at 5/6 with Betfred.
With Manchester City expected to be dominant here, they could be backed to win both halves at 21/20 with Betfred.
This EFL Cup match between Manchester City and Watford will be played on Sep 24, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs Watford prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
