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Manchester City travel to Vicarage Road for their final away game of the season knowing that victory will put the Hornets on the brink of relegation.
The blues have nothing but pride to play for in the Premier League as they ready themselves for the visit of Real Madrid in the Champions League in August, and on paper, Watford should cause few problems for Pep Guardiola’s men. But what do the stats say about this fixture?
Tuesday’s match will be just the twelve time these two have met in their history, with the first meeting taking place in January 1983, when the blues held Watford to a 0-0 draw. Two years later, the blues returned to Vicarage Road and were beaten 3-2, but the last time City lost on Watford soil was March 1989, when the promotion chasing blues were beaten 1-0, a match that saw Watford keeper Tony Coton in inspired form as he helped put a dent in his future employers top flight hopes.
The next time the two would meet was again in the second division, and once more the blues were challenging for promotion under the guidance of Kevin Keegan. This time, the blues won 2-1 to keep up their promotion charge.
That win started off City’s unbeaten run against the Hornets, with City winning six of the seven games played since that defeat in 1989.
City’s biggest win at Vicarage Road came in September 2017 when the blues ran out 6-0 winners, eclipsing the 5-0 City had won by on the final day of the previous season.
The blues have kept just three clean sheets in this fixture, and have also failed to score on three occasions too, but the two teams have scored 32 goals between them, with City scoring 21 and Watford just 11. City have won their last four matches at Watford, with an aggregate score of 15-2. How many blues would like a scoreline like that on Tuesday?
Obviously, the two teams have never met in July previously, but January is the most popular month for this fixture to take place. The two have met in January on four occasions, with City winning two to Watford’s one.
Will City win and push Watford closer to the Premier League trap door, or will the new management team inspire the home team to defy the odds and put survival in their own hands?