TEAM NEWS
Watford are without defender Nathan Ake, who begins a three-game ban.
The Hornets have no new injury worries, but defenders Tommie Hoban and Joel Ekstrand remain out with respective groin and knee problems.
Manchester City duo Fabian Delph and Gael Clichy are back after missing Tuesday's draw against Leicester with minor knocks.
Fernando is available after five games out with a hamstring problem, but Vincent Kompany is still sidelined.
MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Jonathan Pearce: "Can Manchester City - again without Vincent Kompany - stop Odion Ighalo as they did Jamie Vardy at Leicester?
"The Nigerian is the first Watford player to net in six successive Premier League matches and was the highest league scorer across the English four top tiers in 2015.
"His sheer power got him the goal against Tottenham on Monday. Do City's stand-in defenders have the hunger to match that?
"Watford have done wonderfully so far. They can easily finish in the top 10.
"But if Man City's woeful away form continues - they've dropped 15 points out of the last 18 available - they won't finish in the top two."
Twitter: @jpearcefootball
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
Watford head coach Quique Sanchez Flores: "After the last match, one of my kids was crying because we lost in the last minute.
"In seconds I found maybe 10 or 12 reasons to say 'Paulo, we need to be happy'.
"We are competitive, we have a good connection with the fans, they are happy, we are in a good position, we are playing well and have the possibility to win a lot.
"So we have a lot of reasons to be happy, I don't have any reason to be sad."
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini on whether he needs reinforcements in January: "No, really I think the squad is complete.
"As always, I said that we are not going to close the window but we are not really thinking of any special players to bring in."
LAWRO'S PREDICTION
I cannot see City keeping a clean sheet at Watford. Every team in the league fancies their chances when City come to town, they don't have that aura that the best teams have around them.
- Think you can do better than Lawro? Predict the score for this match and the rest of this round's Premier League fixtures in ourPredictor game.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Manchester City are unbeaten in their last eight league and cup games against Watford (W6, D2).
- City's last defeat against the Hornets came in a Division Two match on 4 March 1989.
- The last time they lost a top-flight game against them was on 18 April 1987, when Watford won 2-1 at Maine Road.
Watford
- The Hornets have suffered four Premier League home defeats - only West Brom, Sunderland and Aston Villa have worse records.
- Odion Ighalo has scored in six successive top-flight games - and is the first Watford player to achieve this feat.
- If Ighalo scores on Sunday he will equal the Watford club record of scoring in seven successive games, set by Frank McPherson in 1928-29 (in Division Three South).
- Ighalo and Troy Deeney have scored 20 of the Hornets' 24 Premier League goals this season.
- Only two teams have been relegated after beginning the new year in the top half of the Premier League table - Norwich (seventh in 1995) and Blackpool (eighth in 2011).
Manchester City
- Manchester City are winless in their last six away league games (D3, L3) - their worst run on the road since 2011.
- City last went seven successive Premier League away games without a win between September and December 2009.
- They have netted just one away league goal since September.
- Sergio Aguero has failed to score in his last four appearances for City - having netted seven his previous three games.
- They have won their opening match of the new year in eight of the last nine seasons. The exception was the 1-0 defeat at Sunderland on New Year's Day 2012.
- Kevin De Bruyne has scored only one goal and provided no assists in seven Premier League away games for City - compared to four goals and eight assists in eight home league matches.
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