When Watford lost 2-0 at Manchester City in August the hosts set a club record as they picked up a tenth consecutive win and maintained their 100 per cent start to the season.

Fast forward three months and Manuel Pellegrini’s side will arrive at Vicarage Road having recorded just seven more wins in the Premier League.

Top after making it maximum points from five games at the beginning of September with victory over Crystal Palace, City then fell to consecutive defeats to West Ham United (2-1) and Tottenham Hotspur (4-1).

The Citizens have not slipped lower than third in the months which have followed that blistering start.

But in drawing 0-0 at surprise package Leicester City on Tuesday they missed the chance to close the gap on leaders Arsenal to a single point.

Their cause hasn’t been helped by a lengthy injury to Sergio Aguero – who with seven league goals is their top scorer – whilst the inevitable loss of captain Vincent Kompany to injury has, as ever, been a cruel blow.

Here we profile three players who could make the difference against the Hornets.

Watford Observer:

Sergio Aguero: The Argentine striker is City’s main man. With 85 Premier League goals in just 114 starts since he arrived from Atletico Madrid in 2011 it’s easy to see why.

Aguero cost £38 million when he swapped the Vicente Calderon for the Etihad Stadium and wasted no time in showing why he was worth that fee, hitting the first of 34 goals in his maiden season on his debut against Swansea City.

Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores coached the striker at Atletico and said prior to August’s meeting in Manchester: “When I am asked who are the best players I have trained in my life, for me it’s David Silva and Aguero.

“They were the best – and I have trained some amazing players.

“I knew Aguero before I joined Atletico as at Valencia we played against him four times.”

The son-in-law of Argentine legend Diego Maradona, the 27-year-old’s goal tally for City would surely be all the more impressive were he not to so susceptible to injury.

However, the former Independiente forward, who moved to Europe in 2006, has 116 goals in 149 starts for the club after hitting double figures in each of his first four seasons in England.

The smart money says regardless of what City go on to achieve this term, he’ll replicate that feat once more.

Watford Observer:

David Silva: The Spanish playmaker, nicknamed ‘El Chino’ because his mother, Eva, is of Japanese descent, is another firm favourite at the Etihad Stadium.

Silva was signed from Valencia, where he worked under Hornets head coach Flores, in 2010 and is one of the club’s longest serving players as a result.

Speaking prior to City’s 2-0 win over the Golden Boys in August, Flores said of the versatile midfielder: “Silva was about 20 and I said to myself, ‘My God – he is incredible’.

“He never lost the ball, his control was great – whether the ball was in the air, on his chest or on the ground. He was amazing. I was impressed with him from the beginning.

“Silva is very important in the last third behind the strikers. He’s clever and he’s able to create space where it’s impossible to see any.”

The 29-year-old is just a handful of caps short of his century for Spain and has been part of the most successful generation of Spanish players, winning the 2010 World Cup and 2008 and 2012 editions of the European Championships.

Capable of playing in any of the slots behind the main striker in a 4-2-3-1 system or as a wide midfielder in a 4-4-2, Silva is comfortable with either foot and boasts splendid vision.

Watford Observer:

Joe Hart: At the other end of the field to Aguero and Silva is England’s number one and a virtual ever-present between the sticks for City over the last five seasons.

Goalkeeper Hart made his breakthrough with the Citizens in 2007 under former boss Sven Goran Eriksson.

The Swede, without first choice and countryman Andreas Isaksson due to injury, handed Kasper Schmeichel the number jersey initially before pitching Hart into his starting XI.

The 6ft 5in keeper made 26 Premier League appearances in his breakthrough season and has not looked back since an impressive season on loan at Birmingham City in 2009/10.

Despite being – albeit briefly – dropped in favour of Costel Pantilimon and later Willy Caballero, the 28-year-old has been City’s number one ever since, racking up almost 248 Premier League starts for the club.

Signed from the Shrews for just £600,000 in 2006, Hart signing has to be regarded as one of the best bits of business in the club’s recent history.