Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between Watford and Manchester City. Both sides start the new year relatively well placed, with the hosts in particular impressing over the first half of the season. We should be in for an intriguing contest here, so let's waste no time in starting with a look at the two teams on show...

WATFORD STARTING XI: Gomes; Nyom, Britos, Cathcart, Holebas; Abdi, Watson, Capoue, Jurado; Deeney, Ighalo

WATFORD SUBS: Arlauskis, Prödl, Behrami, Guedioura, Anya, Berghuis, Oulare

MAN CITY STARTING XI: Hart; Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala, Kolarov; Yaya Toure, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Silva, Sterling; Aguero

MAN CITY SUBS: Caballero, Bony, Navas, Zabaleta, Fernando, Clichy, Demichelis

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, for Watford there are just two changes to the side that lost to Tottenham last time out, with Anya and the suspended Ake making way to be replaced by Nyom and Holebas. The rest of the side remains the same, including the deadly front two of Deeney and Ighalo, who have combined for 20 of Watford's 24 goals this season. Ighalo alone scored 30 in 2015 - more than any other player in the top four tiers of English football - and another today would see him equal the club record of scoring in seven consecutive matches, currently held by Frank McPherson in 1928-29 when Watford were in the Division Three South.

City, meanwhile, are unchanged from the side that drew with Leicester last time out as Aguero once again leads the line despite having not scored in his last four appearances of an injury-ravaged season. Kompany remains sidelined so Otamendi and Mangala play at the back once more, but Fernando and Clichy are both on the bench following recent injuries.

In a season full of surprise packages, Watford have been one of the bigger ones this term. Tipped by many to struggled, the Hornet have instead thrived in the Premier League so far, entering 2016 in the top half of the table on a run of just one defeat in their last six outings, including four victories. That defeat was in their most recent match, against Tottenham Hotspur, but it is a run that Quique Flores can be proud of, particularly having faced Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs in their last three games.

Only two teams have ever been relegated from the Premier League after starting the new year in the top half, and that prospect looks to be far away for Watford right now. They are a full 12 points clear of the bottom three, compared to just six adrift of the top four at the start of the day. Europe may well be a bit beyond them this season, but they have shown enough already to suggest that they should comfortably stay in the division at the very least.

One area that could perhaps improve is their home form. They may have won two of their last three in front of their own fans, but only West Brom, Sunderland and Aston Villa have lost more times at home in the league this season, while the Hornet have picked up more points on the road (15) than they have at Vicarage Road (14) so far. Having said that, they did recently hammer Liverpool 3-0 here, so it will only be a relatively minor concern for Flores.

The opposite is true of City, who have been in superb form at home but dreadful on the road - so much so that their away form is threatening to derail a title bid. They have dropped 15 points from the last 18 available in Premier League away games, going without a victory on their last six trips. They haven't gone seven away games without a win since 2009, while only three teams have scored fewer on the road this season.

That is simply not a good enough record for a side hoping to challenge for the title, with Yaya Toure's late strike against Arsenal being the only away goal they have scored in the Premier League in their last five games, since their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham. Their last away victory was way back in September, putting them on their longest winless run on the road since 2011.

Defensively they have been sound, with only Palace conceding fewer away goals, which is a complete reverse of City's general stats this season. They have scored a joint league-high 37 goals this season, but only eight of those have come away from home, while on the flip side only Leicester have conceded more than Manuel Pellegrini's side in the top six of the table.

PREDICTION: We're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff at Vicarage Road, which means that it is time for a prediction! Watford have shown that they can cause the big teams some serious problems already this season, and many may even be tipping a home win considering City's recent form on the road. However, with Aguero edging his way back to full fitness City should be more of a threat today than they have been in their last two games, so I'm going for a 2-1 away win.

Watford are today looking for their first victory over Manchester City since March 1989, when the two sides met in a Division Two encounter. City have won six of the eight meetings since, while they having lost to Watford in the top flight of English football since April 1987, when they ran out 2-1 winners at Maine Road.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Manchester City get us underway at Vicarage Road looking to keep the pressure on Arsenal and Leicester at the top of the table.

SHOT! Bright start from the home side as Jurado ghosts past Toure far too easily before giving it to Deeney, who in turn finds Abdi out on the right. The midfielder hits a powerful effort towards the top corner from the edge of the box, but it is just too high.

Watford have started the better of these two sides. They are seeing plenty of the ball and are making some good headway down the right flank in particular.

SHOT! Kolarov does well to win a tackle inside the Watford half and finds himself in a bit of space as a result, but he drags his low effort a few yards wide of the far post.

Decent spell of possession and pressure for City here - the first real time that they have managed to do that in the match so far. It eventually comes to nothing, though, with Watford staying compact in the middle of the park.

Ighalo has his first sniff of goal as Deeney slides a pass through for his strike partner, but Otamendi sticks with him all the way and blocks the attempted shot behind for a corner.

PENALTY SHOUT! Penalty shout for the hosts as Otamendi gives the ball away inside his own half, which gives Watford the chance to race through on goal. The ball is played in to Deeney, but Kolarov comes across to level the skipper off the ball. The home fans want a penalty, but Martin Atkinson correctly waves the claims away.

CHANCE! Huge chance for Watford to break the deadlock. Abdi fires the ball in to Ighalo, whose brilliant first touch takes him past Otamendi and leaves him with only Hart to beat. The City keeper is out to make a big stop, however, while Watford can't make anything of the rebound. Magnificent from Ighalo, but Hart was equal to him on that occasion!

The opening 15 minutes of this one have been played at a really good tempo, and the game itself has a nice, open feel to it. Watford in particular are playing with plenty of confidence right now.

Another shooting chance for Watford, this time from a dead ball as they win a free kick in range. Watson stands over it and curls one towards the top corner, but it is a few yards too high.

SAVE! Gomes is called into action for the first time today as he gets down to turn De Bruyne's difficult effort away, and he is a little fortunate to see the ball evade Aguero on the rebound.

Almost a chance for Watford as a corner arrives in the box that Cathcart is interested in, but he can't beat a huddle of bodies to the delivery. The ball still drops into a dangerous area, but Ighalo is just too far away from it and Hart hangs on.

So far, so good for Watford at the halfway stage of the first half. They have been the more dangerous of the two sides in this match and have kept things tight at the back too, with Aguero not getting a sniff yet.

Almost a chance for City as the ball is zipped in to the feet of Aguero, who turns it round the corner for Silva. The Spaniard tries to drive into the box, but he is crowded out and Gomes collects the loose ball.

City have begun to gain a little more of a foothold in this game over the past five minutes or so, and it is they who are looking most likely to score right now.

CHANCE! Chances for the visitors here as Silva slides a pass in to Fernandinho inside the box that Gomes has to come out and meet. The ball bounces back to Silva, who misses the ball with an attempted bicycle kick before Sterling lashes the best chance of the lot over the crossbar.

It is Aguero's first chance to threaten next as De Bruyne steers a brilliant header into his path, but the Argentine fires one wide of the near post.

SHOT! City are knocking on the door now, and it is Kolarov who has the latest effort. The left-back lets fly from range and puts plenty of dip and swerve on his strike, but not quite enough for it to fly into the top corner.

Good defending from Cathcart as he quickly spots the danger after Toure's powerful header from the halfway line almost set Aguero clean through on goal. Cathcart showed good pace to get around and make an important challenge, though.

There has only been 5% of the play inside the City third in the last 10 minutes, which is a sign of how this match is going right now. It is almost one-way traffic for City at the moment, and Watford are being forced to weather a storm after their bright start.

Silva and Aguero and getting more and more involved in this game, which can only be a worrying thing for Watford. However, with the exception of De Bruyne's long-ranger, Gomes hasn't had too much to do.

YELLOW CARD! Good refereeing from Martin Atkinson here as Nyom goes down in the penalty area but is penalised and booked for a dive. Fernandinho pulled out of the challenge and Nyom just threw himself to the ground.

Watford have a free kick in a good crossing position that City just about deal with initially, although the clearance only drops to Jurado. He opens up his body and looks to curl one into the top corner, but it is a few yards wide.

We're just a few minutes away from half time now and, all in all, Flores will be pleased with what he has seen from his side so far. They have stood up to the City pressure that has come their way in addition to threatening at the other end themselves, crafting the best chance of the match so far.

There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

The first half comes to an end at Vicarage Road and, while we're still goalless here, it has been a decent game for the neutral so far. Both sides have had spells in the ascendancy, but Watford will be the happier at half time having shown encouraging signs at both ends of the field.

The best chance of the match came the way of the home side after just 13 minutes when Ighalo span past Otamendi on the edge of the area to take him into the box. It was a fantastic piece of skill to beat the Man City defender, but Hart was quickly off his line to thwart the subsequent shot when Ighalo only had the Man City keeper to beat.

Watford were the early aggressors overall, playing with a real confidence and causing Mangala in particular problems at the back for City. Abdi lashed an effort narrowly off target as early as the second minute, while Deeney was also denied a penalty when he looked to be through on goal, although the referee did make the right decision on that one.

City did come back into the match, however, and they spent a spell well on top around the half-hour mark when it was almost one-way traffic. Kolarov came closest in that period when he lashed a dipping effort narrowly over the crossbar from range, while Sterling also blazed one too high when he should have done better after Fernandinho and Silva had both failed to get shots away.

Gomes has only been really tested once, though, having to get across and make a good stop from De Bruyne's strike, which bounced just in front of the keeper. It was an awkward save to have to make, but he could a small slice of luck with his parry as it went just too high for Aguero to tuck home the rebound.

KICKOFF: Watford get us back underway for the second half as they look to pull off another shock this season by claiming the scalp of City.

SAVE! Hart is called into action in the opening minutes of the half as Watson fizzes a low half-volley towards the near post. It looks like it is going wide, but Hart takes no chances and tips it behind for a corner.

Good chance for Watford to get the ball in the box here as they make another quick start to a half. Sterling brings down Nyom, and Watson will put the ball into the box from a good crossing position.

The first ball is cleared by Fernandinho before it is nodded back into the area, and Sagna is needed to hook it away from the approaching Deeney at the back post.

It has been another bright start from Watford in this second half, just as it was in the first. You get the feeling that they need to turn their periods of control into goals, though.

Chance for City to break here as De Bruyne is played through down the left before cutting inside, but he doesn't really catch his effort and Cathcart deflects it behind for a corner.

CHANCE! Big chance for City from the resulting corner! Fernandinho easily escapes the attention of Capoue inside the box and runs on to a free header, but he plants his effort over the bar when he probably should have done better.

Watford take the lead 10 minutes into the second half to put them on the verge of another shock here! It is one for the dubious goals committee as Watson swings a corner into the box, which takes a slight deflection off the head of Kolarov and flies into the far corner. It actually looked like it was going on target before Kolarov's glancing header, so it could go down as a Watson goal direct from the corner.

Vicarage Road is absolutely rocking right now. They have been the better side in this second half, as they were in the opening 20-25 minutes of the first, and it is hard to argue against them leading this match. City's away woes continue.

That goal came just a minute after Fernandinho missed a great chance from a corner at the other end of the field. How big could that prove to be in the title race? As things stand it is a very good day for Arsenal.

MAN CITY SUB: The visitors make their first change of the match as Sterling departs to be replaced by Jesus Navas.

Watford are still looking to get on the front foot even after that goal, which is great to see. They look just as likely to get a second as City do to find an equaliser right now.

Brilliant footwork from Holebas as he strides forward, beating three City players before having a go from 20 yards. It would be a brilliant solo goal, but his shot hits Ighalo, who is stood in an offside position.

PENALTY SHOUT! Penalty shout for the visitors as once again a corner finds its way towards Fernandino. The midfielder looks set to have a glorious chance, but Capoue just appears to tug him back enough to prevent him from getting anything on the ball. The referee waves the claims away, though.

This is a decent spell for City now. They are beginning to enjoy more controlled possession and build a period of pressure on the hosts, who are being forced deeper and deeper as a result.

CHANCE! Big chance for City to get an equaliser! Mangala intercepts a Deeney pass and strides out of defence before finding De Bruyne on the left. The Belgian cuts one back to Toure inside the box, but the stand-in skipper steers his effort wide of the far post having come onto the ball.

SAVE! Brilliant football from City as De Bruyne feeds the ball in to Silva, who returns the favour with a lovely flick back into the Belgian's path. De Bruyne drills a powerful low strike towards goal, but Gomes is down quickly to make an important stop.

Toure goes for goal again here, this time lining up an effort from a good 30 yards out. He tries to hit it too hard, however, and drags his strike well wide.

This time it is Abdi's turn to have a go from range as the ball breaks to him, but he also drags his effort a long way wide.

MAN CITY SUB: A big sign of intent from Pellegrini in the closing 15 minutes as Wilfried Bony replaces Mangala.

As expected, City are beginning to knock on the door a little here, but Watford's defence has held strong so far and shows no signs of buckling in the immediate future. This has been another very impressive performance from the Hornets.

CHANCE! Big chance for Watford to put this game to bed! Capoue picks the ball up inside his own half and is allowed to carry the ball to the edge of the penalty area completely unchallenged. When a defender does eventually meet him he coasts past him far too easily before breaking into the box via a lucky deflection. However, his finish is high and wide under pressure from Fernandinho and Hart.

WATFORD SUB: The hosts make their first change of the evening as Jurado is replaced by Adlene Guedioura.

Huge goal for Manchester City in the title race, and what a goal it is! A corner arrives low into the box, and Toure swings his left boot at it to fire a magnificent volley into the top corner. He looked exhausted and out of the game before that, but that was a special, special strike.

City are now hunting for a winner as the seconds tick away here. They can smell blood, but it really would be harsh on Watford if they came away with nothing from this match.

He's back! Aguero gets his first goal in his last five City appearances to complete a remarkable turnaround for City. It is a beauty of a cross from Sagna into the middle, and Aguero attacks it brilliantly, rising highest in the box before planting a textbook header into the far corner. What a moment for Aguero, and it could prove to be a big moment in the title race too!

MAN CITY SUB: That proves to be Aguero's last action of the match too as he makes way to be replaced by Martin Demichelis.

CHANCE! Almost a chance for Watford to get back level as Demichelis fails to deal with a cross into the box. The ball drops to Ighalo, who instinctively shoots on the turn, but it is straight at Hart.

There will be a minimum of four minutes added time at the end of this match.

What a turnaround from Manchester City - the sign of champions, perhaps? They looked to be almost dead and buried heading into the final 10 minutes a goal behind, but two goals in less than three minutes hands them a huge victory that closes the gap on Arsenal to three points. It is a statement of intent to those around them in the table, as Toure and Aguero both scored in quick succession to cancel out an earlier own goal from Kolarov.

That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's late kickoff as Manchester City pull off a late comeback to gain all three points against an impressive Watford side. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!