Post by Golden_Boy™ on Dec 3, 2006 21:45:18 GMT -1
![](http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/1641/42365874mncwatnm0.gif)
City of Manchester Stadium
Monday, 4 December
Kick-off: 2000 GMT
Coverage on the BBC Sport website & BBC Radio Five Live & live on SKY.
Manchester City winger DaMarcus Beasley is pushing for a recall.
Midfielder Ousmane Dabo also comes back into contention after 12 games out with a knee operation.
Watford should welcome back forwards Hameur Bouazza and Ashley Young after they have recovered from an ankle injury and flu respectively.
But they are without suspended defender Chris Powell, while goalkeeper Ben Foster, defender Clarke Carlisle and forward Marlon King are injured.
Manchester City (from): Weaver, Hart, Isaksson, Richards, Onuoha, Dunne, Distin, Thatcher, Jordan, Trabelsi, Barton, Reyna, Hamann, Beasley, Ireland, Samaras, Corradi, Vassell, Dickov.
Watford (from: Lee, Chamberlain, Chambers, Mackay, DeMerit, Powell, Doyley, Stewart, Shittu, Mariappa, Francis, Mahon, Spring, Bangura, Smith, Henderson, McNamee, Young, Bouazza, Priskin.
Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce:
"I have seen Watford play more than any other team in the Premiership, and they have not been overwhelmed in any game this season.
"They are a dogged side and if anyone thinks they will have an easy game against them, they are sadly mistaken.
"All they need are back-to-back victories and suddenly they will be out of the relegation zone again."
Watford boss Adrian Boothroyd (on winning just once in 14 league games this season):
"I have not sought the advice of anyone else during this period, and I do not intend to.
"For me, it is about experiencing the situation, and finding the way myself.
"I am a big one for gathering information, but sometimes it is more important to live something than it is to ask for someone else's opinion."
MANCHESTER CITY defend their unbeaten home Premiership record, against a struggling Watford side, anxious to halt a three-game losing run with a first away win.
Stuart Pearce's side turned on one of their best displays of the season so far when defeating Aston Villa 1-3 at Villa Park on Wednesday night. It was their first win on the road, and sets up the possibility of back-to-back victories for the first time in 44 outings since October last year.
This is the first ever Premiership meeting between these clubs, and the first League exchange since the 2001-02 season when City completed a second tier 'double' over the Hornets.
WATFORD have had less than their fair share of the breaks from this campaign, and Aidy Boothroyd's players are beginning to discover that survival at this level is going to be an uphill struggle. They were second best in the six-pointer with Sheffield United at Vicarage Road on Tuesday night, despite losing to a Danny Webber goal that was clearly off side.
The Hornets go into this round of Premiership fixtures four points below the survival line, with just one win from 14 starts, and third bottom in the Premiership's "Last Six Current Form" table.
The Hornets have won half of their 10 League engagements with the Citizens.
REFEREE
Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)
SEQUENCES/RECENT FORM
MANCHESTER CITY
Going into the weekend: 12th 19 points
(all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premiership fixtures)
1. Not registered successive Premiership victories since Everton and West Ham were defeated on 2 and 16 October 2005 - both at the City of Manchester Stadium.
2. Held a watertight home defence until Collins John scored for Fulham in the most recent fixture to be staged at Eastlands. But it proved scant reward for the visitors who returned to London with no points from a 3-1 defeat.
3. Won four and drawn three of their seven home League games this term.
4. Not scored three goals in a League clash in 24 outings, prior to the Fulham match. Now City have netted three times in two of the last three fixtures (3-1, home to Fulham, and 1-3 at Aston Villa).
5. Both City and Watford have been involved in three goalless Premiership draws this season. No clubs have been engaged in more.
6. Holding a 100% record when scoring first in Premiership games this season - won five of five. These were the home fixtures against Arsenal, West Ham, Middlesbrough and Fulham and Wednesday's trip to Villa Park.
7. One of two clubs to have failed to score in eight Premiership matches. Sheffield United is the other.
8. After this, comes the eagerly awaited Manchester derby at Old Trafford next Saturday lunchtime, before two home games against Spurs and Bolton.
WATFORD
Going into the weekend: 19th 9 points
(all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premiership fixtures)
1. Defeat would spell Watford's worst Premier League run since losing four on the spin between 15 April and 3 May 2000.
2. The 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough at Vicarage Road on 4 November is Watford's only maximum in this League campaign.
3. Dropped 33 points - the equal worst in the top table with Charlton - the only club beneath them.
4. Lost the last two on the road (at Chelsea and Portsmouth).
5. Picked up just two of their total of nine points away from home, courtesy of a 1-1 draw at Wigan, and goalless stalemate at Charlton.
6. Scored no more than a single goal in any away League game - netting one in each of three, and failing to score in the other four.
7. Notched 100 top flight victories.
8. Three short of conceding 100 goals in their Premier League history.
9. One of two clubs not awarded a penalty in the Premiership so far this season. West Ham is the other.
10.. Fellow promoted Reading are Watford's next opponents at Vicarage Road next Saturday, before successive trips to Newcastle and Liverpool.
KEY PLAYER NOTES/POTENTIAL MILESTONES
MANCHESTER CITY
Joey BARTON is City's top scorer with four goals.
BARTON and Richard DUNNE are the only remaining players to have been on the field for every minute of every one of Manchester City's League and Cup matches this season. They are also the club's only ever-presents in the Premiership.
WATFORD
Ashley YOUNG is Watford's top scorer with four goals.
Gavin MAHON is the only remaining player to have been on the field for at least a part of every one of Watford's Premiership matches this season.
Should he feature, Jay DeMERIT will be playing on his 27th birthday.
If he plays, Danny SHITTU will be making his 200th career League appearance (Blackpool, Queen's Park Rangers and Watford).
If he gets a run out, Jordan STEWART will be making his 50th career Premiership appearance (Leicester and Watford).
HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS
Home and away
League: Man City 4 wins, Watford 5, Draws 1
Prem: Man City 0 wins, Watford 0, Draws 0
at Man City only
League: Man City 3 wins, Watford 2, Draws 0
Prem: Man City 0 wins, Watford 0, Draws 0