Watford vs. Manchester City Prediction - 7/21/20
An unexpected defeat against Arsenal in the semi-final of the FA Cup brings Manchester City to a road contest against Watford, who are still battling for survival in the Premier League. Kick-off - at 13:00 PM ET on Tuesday, July 21.
Watford Lose To West Ham
A two-game winning run came to an end for Watford, who failed to take a major step in the bid for their survival in the Premier League after dropping a 3-1 decision against fellow strugglers West Ham United away at London Stadium on Friday. The Hornets controlled the ball 59% of the time and outshot the hosts 14-10, but saw the Hammers score three times in the first 36 minutes of the game, managing to respond with just a single strike in the second half courtesy of Troy Deeney. Watford have lost five straight EPL road contests for the first time since May 2018 and currently sit 17th in the league (W8 D10 L18), just three points above the drop-zone with two games remaining.
Team captain Troy Deeney leads the Hornets with nine league markers. Goalie Ben Foster, meanwhile, resides 7th in the Premier League with 109 saves. He has collected nine clean sheets in 36 contests during the ongoing campaign and gives up a snipe every 57 minutes on average. Watford have netted the 3rd lowest amount of goals this season (34), while taking the 12th highest amount of shots per game (11.2). The team is 3rd from the bottom in both ball possession (44.5%) and passing accuracy (73.4%).
City Beat Cherries, Fail In FA Cup
Last week brought mixed emotions for Manchester City, who extended their winning streak in the Premier League to three consecutive games, but failed to reach the final of the FA Cup. The Citizens, who are guaranteed the 2nd-place finish in England's top tier this season (W24 D3 L9) edged out relegation-bound Bournemouth with a count of 2-1 at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday (David Silva and Gabriel Jesus - the scorers), but lost 2-0 to Arsenal in the semi-final of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, managing to deliver just a single shot on target - the lowest amount the team has recorded since April 2018 in the Champions League versus Liverpool (0).
English winger Raheem Sterling tops Citizens’ scoring table with 17 league snipes. Goalie Ederson, meanwhile, sits 18th in the Premier League with 64 saves. He has recorded 14 clean sheets in 33 appearances during the current campaign and concedes a goal every 103 minutes of play. Manchester City have scored the absolute highest amount of EPL goals this year (93), while posting the highest quantity of shots per game (19.1). The team is top of the league in both ball possession (62.2%) and passing accuracy (89.2%).
Prediction
Despite the team sitting three points above the relegation zone with two games remaining, chances of survival don’t look too promising for Watford, who will be meeting Manchester City and in-form Arsenal in their last two games of the season. The Hornets are very much likely to net at least a goal on Tuesday, having seen both sides on the scoreboard in four of their previous five Premier League contests, with Manchester City managing just one clean sheet on their last four EPL travels. A victory, though, is beyond Watford, who have not won a game against the Citizens since last beating them 1-0 in League Division Two in 1989, going D2 L15 against City in all competitions subsequently.
Best bet:
Manchester City to win and both teams to score (+160)