Watford

After Roy Hodgson left Friday's training feeling unwell, Ray Lewington spoke to the media before Watford host Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.

Here are the key lines from the Hornets boss:

• On Hodgson, he said: "He was unwell last night in the hotel. It's very unusual for him." However, he added: He absolutely surely will be there tomorrow, but he just needed a rest."

• Kiko Femenia and Juraj Kucka could both return from injury, but the game comes too soon for Cucho Hernandez.

• On relegation fears, he said: "With every game we lose it makes it harder."

• He drew on similarities when he was at Fulham with Hodgson and said: "As hopeless as the situation looks, there is a way out sometimes."

• He added: "We're positive, we know that we can do it. But talk is very cheap and we need to get out there and do it."

Follow Friday's Premier League manager news conferences here

Alistair Bruce-Ball, Chris Sutton and Statman Dave bring you the latest from the world of fantasy football.

They offer some differential players for your fantasy football team, as well as ask why we didn’t flag up Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus.

Plus BBC Radio 5 Live’s Steve Crossman joins the podcast to play a crucial game of Sutton Death against Ali.

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• After winning their first Premier League home game against Burnley in February 2017, Watford are winless in their last three against the Clarets at Vicarage Road (D1 L2).

• This is both Watford and Burnley’s 300th Premier League match, with Wolverhampton Wanderers also reaching that milestone in this round of games. It’s just the second time two sides are meeting in their 300th game in the competition, after Everton 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur in January 2000.

• In the Premier League this season 21% of Burnley's goals have come in the opening 15 minutes of games (6/29), the highest share in the division. However, the Clarets have scored a league-low 7% of their goals in the final 15 minutes this term (2/29)

• The Hornets have lost each of their last 10 Premier League home games – no side in top-flight history has ever lost 11 consecutive home league games before.

Unai Emery is interested in taking Watford's Nigerian striker Emmanuel Dennis, 24, to Villarreal this summer. (Standard), external

Want more transfer news? Read Thursday's full gossip column

It's a big game at the bottom of the Premier League on Saturday as the Hornets host relegation rivals Burnley.

Roy Hodgson's side were outclassed by a rampant Manchester City team on Saturday and Watford need wins fast to avoid the drop.

With time running out, what should Hodgson do to help the Hornets' chances of survival?

It's time to pick your Watford starting XI to face Burnley

Image source, Getty Images

We asked Watford fans what has gone wrong at Vicarage Road this season.

Here is a sample of your views:

Alison: The turnaround this year has been remarkable. Last year we had the best defensive and home record in the whole football league but you wouldn't have believed it from this year's performances. A big problem seems to be that whilst we seem to compete well (but lose) against 'good' teams, we have really struggled against mid- and lower table teams.

Rory: The same tactics of player turnover and chopping and changing managers that carried us through our last stint in the Premier league have failed. We have not replaced personalities like Deeney, Hughes and Chalobah and there is no-one holding players accountable and pushing us to do better. We need stability and a leader on the pitch.

Brian: Even with five wins, we will probably still go down. We should have kept with Xisco and given him the support of Hodgson or similar earlier in the season. Sarr is just making sure that he doesn’t get injured before the end of the season while a number of others are just going through the motions. I hope Hodgson stays or we get Dyche back.

David: Shocking run of form from the owners really. Another season of mediocre additions to the team and managerial merry-go-rounds have left us facing the drop. Even beating Everton and Burnley leaves us one point behind Everton, assuming their results mirror ours.

Have your say over here

Image source, Getty Images

• A defeat for Watford would also leave them on the brink of relegation as the Hornets would be 12 points adrift of safety with only four games left.

• At the top of the table, Manchester City and Liverpool have already secured their places in the Champions League group stage for next season.

• Chelsea are guaranteed at least a spot in the Europa League next year because - even if they lose the FA Cup final - they cannot finish lower than sixth.

It's another huge week in Europe for English clubs on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, as Manchester City and Liverpool play the first legs of their Champions League semi-finals, and West Ham bid to reach the final of the Europa League.

There are also Premier League commentaries, involving the relegation fight and race to finish in the top four.

Monday, 25 April

• Crystal Palace v Leeds United (20:00)

Tuesday, 26 April

• Manchester City v Real Madrid (20:00)

Wednesday, 27 April

• Liverpool v Villarreal (20:00)

Thursday, 28 April

• West Ham United v Eintracht Frankfurt (20:00)

• Manchester United v Chelsea (19:45, Sports Extra)

Saturday, 30 April

• Watford v Burnley (15:00)

Sunday, 1 May

• Everton v Chelsea (14:00)

• West Ham United v Arsenal (16:30)

*All times BST

Image source, Getty Images

With only five games remaining, Watford's chances of staying in the Premier League look very slim.

After a heavy defeat by Manchester City that leaves Roy Hodgson's side nine points away from safety, do you think relegation is now a certainty?

BBC Three Counties Radio commentator Geoff Doyle feels the Hornets' current squad is filled with too many Championship-level players not capable of keeping the club in the top flight - do you agree?

Let us know your thoughts here

Geoff Doyle, BBC Three Counties Radio

After Manchester City’s comfortable win Roy Hodgson said he needed ticks next to all his players, indicating they had played to their maximum ability if they were to stand any chance of getting something at Etihad Stadium.

Unfortunately there weren’t enough and the inevitable occurred. It was unsurprising.

This Watford team and squad haven’t shown enough all season, let alone at one of the best clubs in the world. To get eleven ticks would mean a high level of consistency among the players, a smart indicator of just how good they actually are.

This was another nod towards the general consensus that the majority aren’t quite up to the level and they are nowhere near City’s. Rightly so. City can spend £100 million on one player.

Watford should be compared to the mid-table teams. The problem has been they haven’t been at their levels either. And that comes back to recruitment last summer and in January.

Hodgson has been criticised by some Watford fans - with some justification at times - but one wonders whether his opposite number Pep Guardiola would have done much better.

It always comes down to players. Apart from three or four these lot are Championship rather than Premier League level. And that’s where they’re heading back to.

You can now watch all the highlights and analysis from Saturday's five matches in the Premier League.

Stream the action now on BBC iPlayer

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Bevan, BBC Sport at Etihad Stadium

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was repeatedly asked whether Gabriel Jesus could leave the club in the summer after the Brazilian's brilliant four-goal display had blown Watford away at a gusty Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola made it clear he is not even thinking about that now, with his side entering the final month of what could be another stellar season with the two biggest prizes, domestically and in Europe, in their sights.

Five wins in City's five remaining games will secure the Premier League title and, while Guardiola must be hoping they are all as straightforward as Saturday's one-sided game, he knows they won't be.

So, rather than speculating whether Jesus will sign a contract extension or not before his current deal runs out in 2023, he urged focus on the task ahead on both fronts - starting with Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg with Real Madrid, every game is must-win now.

For Watford boss Roy Hodgson, staying up is the only target and the chances of that happening appear to be receding every week.

When the Hornets last won a game, against Southampton on 13 March, only goal difference kept them in the bottom three. Now, after four successive defeats, they are nine points adrift with five games to play and have a goal difference drastically worse than the two teams immediately above them.

While they won't be down mathematically if they lose their next game, against fellow strugglers Burnley on Saturday, defeat would surely end their hopes of escaping the drop.

The good news there is that the Clarets are much more beatable than City, of course, but the problem for Watford is that they face them at Vicarage Road, where they have lost their past 10 games.

Image source, Getty Images

• Manchester City have now won 15 consecutive games against Watford in all competitions, the longest-ever winning run by an English league side over another. The aggregate score in those 15 meetings is 58-8.

• The Hornets have lost 13 of their 14 Premier League games against an opponent starting the day top of the table, winning the other 3-0 against Liverpool in February 2020.

• Pep Guardiola has won all 11 of his meetings with Watford in all competitions, by an aggregate score of 47-5. It’s his best 100% win rate against an opponent in his managerial career.

• Emmanuel Dennis has been directly involved in 52% of Watford’s 31 Premier League goals this season (10 goals, six assists); only Teemu Pukki for Norwich (59%) has had a hand in a higher proportion of his club’s goals in the competition in 2021-22.

Watford boss Roy Hodgson to BBC Match of the Day: "We were architects of our own downfall. It would've been very tough here whatever happens but you need to give yourself a little bit of leeway.

"But you concede a goal in the very first minute and then just before half-time you concede a third goal. I thought that was a little bit harsh because at 2-1 I thought we were making a decent effort to stay in the game and making life as difficult for them as I could expect us to.

"But then the fourth goal, in the first minute of the second half, is unforgivable really if you seriously think you're going to come here and dent any hopes they would have of beating you so we had to pay the price for that.

"The last two matches we haven't really been that bad, it was circumstances that caused us to lose those games. I haven't got the feeling we lost them because there's no spirit, no fight or no heart. It (the relegation battle) is not over yet."

We are bringing you live text commentary of Manchester City v Watford, plus the rest of Saturday's Premier League action.

Follow all the action here

You'll be able to catch up with all the post-match reaction on this page after full-time at Etihad Stadium

Manchester City make six changes from the side that beat Brighton on Wednesday.

Ruben Dias, who returned from a hamstring injury when he came off the bench for the second half against the Seagulls, makes his first start since 1 March.

Oleksandar Zinchenko gets the nod at left-back, while Fernandinho comes into midfield to play alongside Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne.

Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish form the attack, and will be hoping to link up better than they did when they started at Wembley in last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final.

Man City XI: Ederson, Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko, Rodri, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Sterling, Grealish, Jesus

Subs: Steffen, Ake, Gundogan, Bernardo, Mahrez, Foden, Egan-Riley, Mbete, Palmer

Image source, BBC Sport

Watford make three changes from the side that were beaten by an injury-time goal by Brentford last weekend.

Jeremy Ngakia starts at right-back for his first game since the end of February, Tom Cleverley is back in midfield and Joshua King returns up front.

Kiko Femenia and Juraj Kucka are out with minor knocks and Joao Pedro drops to the bench.

Watford XI: Foster, Ngakia, Samir, Kabasele, Kamara, Sissoko, Cleverley, Louza, Sarr, Dennis, King

Subs: Bachmann, Ekong, Pedro, Masina, Sema, Nkoulou, Cathcart, Gosling, Kayembe

Image source, BBC Sport

Mark Lawrenson takes on Austin Brown, singer and guitarist of rock band Parquet Courts, in the latest round of Premier League predictions.

Lawro's prediction: 4-0

It is not really a question of whether Manchester City will win this one, more a case of how many will they score?

City put eight past the Hornets the last time they came to Etihad Stadium in 2019 and, while I don't think the damage will be as bad this time, they should win comfortably again.

Watford boss Roy Hodgson's strength is his defensive organisation and he will set his side up to try to keep City out and make things difficult for them.

The problem there is that City are just too good. Once they get one goal, the floodgates could open.

Austin's prediction: A good friend of mine, Euan, who plays saxophone for the Welsh musician Cate le Bon, is a big Watford fan and he was a mascot when he was a kid. He got quite upset with me recently when I told him they were going down and it would be a good thing because the games would be better for them in the Championship. He didn't like that much. We don't have promotion and relegation in America so I guess I don't fully understand the concept on an emotional level! 4-0

Find out how Lawro and Austin Brown, singer and guitarist of the Parquet Courts, think the rest of the weekend's fixtures will go

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City will assess the fitness of Nathan Ake and John Stones, who were forced off in the win over Brighton.

Kyle Walker is doubtful because of the ankle injury he sustained against Atletico Madrid.

Watford could welcome back defender William Troost-Ekong, who has not featured since the Africa Cup of Nations because of a hamstring injury.

Samuel Kalu and Francisco Sierralta are yet to resume full training, while Cucho Hernandez remains out.

Pick your City side to face Watford

Who makes your Hornets XI?

Geoff Doyle, BBC Three Counties Radio

Even the most optimistic Watford fan might struggle to find plausible reasons as to why the Hornets should get anything at Etihad Stadium.

Watford have lost more games in the Premier League than any other. They face a City side battling for the title with Liverpool and a goal difference deficit of six to make up. Pep Guardiola's side might think they can make inroads into that on Saturday.

Roy Hodgson's side are preparing for this one like they did for the Liverpool game at Anfield at the beginning of the month. It worked pretty well on Merseyside and will have to be repeated for Watford to stay in the game like they did against Jurgen Klopp's team.

They will look to frustrate the current champions, try to close space and catch them on the counter-attack. Even then they will be cautious. Hodgson has spoken about how dangerous City are on the break themselves.

This is a funny time for Watford fans. Most have accepted that relegation is inevitable. They are seven points adrift and after this match will have five games left which they will probably have to win all of to survive. It's more a question of 'when' rather than 'if'.

It's difficult not to look ahead to life in the Championship and try to work out which players might still be on the books at Vicarage Road. To make up the television money shortfall some of the top players will have to be sold but the owners rarely allow anyone to leave who won't make them a profit.

With a bigger parachute payment to be given this season the hope is that it should be even easier for the relegated Premier League clubs to come back up at the first time of asking.