Chris Bevan
BBC Sport at Etihad Stadium

Image source, BBC Sport

Etihad Stadium is truly a sight to strike fear in the heart of any Watford fan.

Since drawing 0-0 the first time they came here in December 2006, the Hornets have lost on each of their past seven visits, with an aggregate score of 25-2 to City.

Still, that first win has got happen sooner or later, right?…. and Watford ARE better on the road than they are at home right now.

Mind you, that’s not too difficult. The Hornets have lost their past 10 home games and only picked up seven points at Vicarage Road all season.

Maybe the Etihad isn’t so bad a place for them to play after all?

Harvey Barnes has scored four goals and assisted one in his last four Premier League games against Aston Villa.

Meanwhile, Philippe Coutinho has been directly involved in seven league goals in 12 appearances for Villa.

Only one of those Coutinho goals has come away from home though - against Leeds on 10 March.

Image source, Getty Images

Geoff Doyle
BBC Three Counties Radio sport

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.

What it means.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool 🤝 Newcastle

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka to BT Sport: "Very happy for the three points and secondly very happy to have helped the team with a goal. I haven't scored in long time and it's good to do it front of the fans. But the most important thing was the three points.

"We started well but it was a 50-50 game in the second half. United were pressing and did much better, but we got the three points. The missed penalty helped us.

"It's not the first time we score and concede straight away, we did it twice against Chelsea. So we have to be more clever and have a strong mentality for the five minutes after we score."

Pep Guardiola admits he does not know if the Champions League will impact the title race.

Manchester City play Real Madrid on Tuesday at Etihad Stadium but says he is only focusing on selecting a side to win three points against Watford.

"I don't think about that," he said. "I think of the players available, the best squad to beat Watford.

"To be into the Champions League semi-finals and fighting in the league is a joy, a pleasure.

"Now we try to do it."

Guardiola also said he relishes the pressure that comes with contending in different trophies.

"Of course we enjoy it," he said. "We’d prefer to be in this position than not, having the chance to try to make back-to-back titles.

“I love it. Fighting for knockout stages, every game is important and decisive. It means we’ve done good things before - otherwise we wouldn’t be here."

Newcastle's impressive form has seen them jump up from being in a relegation battle, to suddenly within touching distance of a top 10 finish.

They will go above Brighton for at least a day if they beat Norwich and could go above Leicester, should the Foxes fail to beat Aston Villa.

Leicester are 11 points behind West Ham but have two games in hand, including today's match with Villa.

Image source, BBC Sport

Marc Webber
Final Score at Carrow Road

As the thousands of Newcastle United fans pile out of the city’s train station and into the pre-match bars, you get the best visualisation of what the Premier League means financially to Norwich - as a club and city.

The Magpies’ fans were in fine voice and rightly so.

The Toon Army were sitting cheek by jowl with Norwich in the league’s basement in December. Today, they are comfortably mid-table.

Could that mean they are on the proverbial Norfolk beach today, allowing the home side to grab a win they desperately need?

Chris Bevan
BBC Sport at Etihad Stadium

Image source, Getty Images

Ben Foster is 39 now but, as a young keeper at the beginning of his career, he probably quite looked forward to playing Manchester City.

He didn’t lose any of his first five meetings with them, kept two clean sheets and, even when he let a few in, was still smiling - he was in goal for Manchester United when Michael Owen snatched that famous late victory for the Red Devils in 2009.

Did Foster keep that impressive record up, I hear you ask? Um, not quite… not quite (coughs).

Foster’s unbeaten run versus City ended with a 4-0 defeat with West Brom at Etihad Stadium in April 2012 and he’s gone on to lose all 13 games he played against them since over the past decade, conceding 46 goals - an average of more than three per match.

His last visit here, with Watford in 2019, was probably the most painful. Foster shipped five goals in the first 18 minutes as the Hornets lost 8-0 - he wasn't smiling much at the end of that one, sadly, but could today be a different story?

Image source, Getty Images

One game down, another four to go.

We'll start building up to these three games which kick-off at 3pm but stick around for reaction from the Emirates.

Leicester v Aston Villa

Manchester City v Watford

Norwich v Newcastle

Brentford host Tottenham in the final game of the day at 5.30pm.

Image source, BBC Sport

Well, there we go. Arsenal are back in fourth for at least a few hours as Tottenham don't take on Brentford until 5.30pm this evening.

Manchester City are up next, hosting Watford at the Etihad. Can they increase their lead at the top ahead of tomorrow's Merseyside derby?

A fine afternoon for Arsenal. They move into the top four. It looks like a two-horse race now for fourth.

Manchester United left to reflect on missed chances, none bigger than Bruno Fernandes' penalty at 2-1.

Juan Mata has Marcus Rashford in the box but chips his cross straight to Aaron Ramsdale.

Time is almost up.

Cristiano Ronaldo booked.

He sticks a boot in to stop Takehiro Tomiyaso getting away from him. There was a lot of frustration in that.

Image source, PA Media

Cedric Soares departs and Takehiro Tomiyasu makes a return to action following injury.

There are a lot of glum faces amongst the away fans here. Some of the United fans have had enough and are getting a little head start on the drive back north.

The Arsenal fans are getting the oles out for every pass now.

They feel the job is done, so they want to take the mickey.