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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Stuart Brennan & Joe Bray

How Man City should line up vs Watford in Premier League

Manchester City are waiting on positive injury news regarding Nathan Ake and John Stones for their Premier League fixure with Watford, but Kyle Walker will miss out.

Ake and Stones limped out of the win over Brighton, while Walker has been missing for three games since suffering an ankle injury against Atletico Madrid. With Real Madrid visiting the Etihad next week, City's defensive injury worries are mounting again.

Ruben Dias is back after making his return against Brighton, while Guardiola may look ahead to the Real Madrid game by resting some players against relegation-threatened Watford.

ALSO READ: Man City calm on Premier League fixture schedule that could hand Liverpool FC title advantage

Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling were unused substitutes in the week, so may be recalled in the interests of rotation. Joao Cancelo has played in each of the last five games, but is likely to be needed again against Watford, especially considering he's suspended against Real.

Read how our writers think City should line up below and use the interactive team selector to pick your own team:

Stuart Brennan

The need to pick up three points has to be balanced with a need to keep players relatively fresh for the Real Madrid game three days later. Kevin De Bruyne is so important at the moment that he needs to start, with the idea of being taken off if City reach a comfortable winning position.

Bernardo Silva could be held back to replace him, with Ilkay Gundogan also coming into the equation. City can also re-shuffle up front, with starts for Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Grealish. The defensive set-up depends on fitness tests for Stones, Ake and Walker but it would be foolish to risk any of them in a game in which City will be on the front foot.

Cancelo can go again as he is suspended for the Real game, while Dias can start with Aymeric Laporte, and Oleksandr Zinchenko can build on his excellent cameo performance against Brighton.

Pick your best team here:

Joe Bray

If Ake and Stones are doubts, they shouldn't be risked, especially as they might be needed to cover full-back against Real Madrid. That means the defence that finished against Brighton can continue, and I'd play Fernandinho too.

Bernardo never stops so could also do with a rest, and that could mean dropping Grealish back in as the false nine with a view to giving as many key players a reduced afternoon. In attack, Sterling and Jesus can come back in.

Ilkay Gundogan and De Bruyne can start but should be the first to be substituted if the result is going as well as City may expect.

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