Dias comes in for the injured John Stones and is one of six changes to the team that defeated Brighton 3-0 on Wednesday evening.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Gabriel Jesus, Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling join Dias the starting lineup.
Nathan Ake, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden move to the bench.
Kyle Walker remains sidelined with an ankle injury.
Teams
City
XI: Ederson, Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko, Rodrigo, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Grealish, Jesus, Sterling
Subs: Steffen, Ake, Gundogan, Bernardo, Mahrez, Foden, Egan-Riley, Mbete, Palmer
Watford
XI: Foster, Ngakia, Louza, King, Cleverley, Kamara, Sissoko, Samir, Sarr, Dennis, Kabasele
Subs: Bachmann, Troost-Ekong, Joao Pedro, Masina, Sema, Nkoulou, Cathcart, Gosling, Kayembe
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Tactics
Pep Guardiola rarely deviates from his fluid 4-3-3 formation and today is no exception.
Ederson starts in goal and, as always, his distribution will be a key element of our buildup play. There are few are very players with better passing ability than Ederson, who has outstanding quality over both short and long distances.
Joao Cancelo will continue at right-back, with Oleksandr Zincheko on the left. Both players will look to get forward when we have the ball. Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte start at the heart of defence.
Fernandinho and Rodrigo will play just ahead of them, offering plenty of strength and solidity. It’s rare both of those start together and it will be interesting to see which of them has licence to get forward.
Kevin De Bruyne, who has been in outstanding form with nine goals and four assists in his last 15 Premier League appearances, completes the midfield trio.
Our front three of Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus will be interchangeable, with each player capable of shifting position.
Six ‘cup finals’
One point clear at the top of the Premier League table with six matches remaining. The equation is very clear: win all six and City will be champions for the fourth time in five seasons.
It’s a wonderful position to be in, but one which brings significant pressure. The players handled it superbly on Wednesday with a comfortable win over Brighton and Pep Guardiola will want more of the same today.
With Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid coming into view, it makes today’s assignment even trickier. Three points and no fresh injuries is what Guardiola will be hoping for.
And should we win this afternoon, not only would we take a significant step towards the title, we would also become the first team in Premier League history to win 15 consecutive games in all competitions against the same opponent.
Match stats
Head-to-head
Manchester City could become the first English Football League side in history to win 15 consecutive games in all competitions against the same opponent.
Their current 14-game winning streak in this fixture has come by an aggregate score of 53-7.
Watford have lost 11 of their last 12 away games at Man City in all competitions. The exception was a goalless draw in their first Premier League encounter in December 2006.
The Hornets’ 2-1 top-flight triumph at Maine Road in 1987 is their most recent away victory in this fixture.
Manchester City
Manchester City have dropped points in four of their last 10 league matches (D3, L1) following a 12-match winning streak in the Premier League.
They have won their last nine matches against teams in the relegation zone by an aggregate score of 31-0.
Pep Guardiola has won all 10 meetings with Watford in all competitions, recording a combined score of 42-4. It is his best 100% win rate against any opponent.
Riyad Mahrez has scored his 23 goals in all competitions this season. Only Mohamed Salah, with 30, has more scored more among Premier League players.
Mahrez has scored seven goals in his last seven Premier League home appearances, including netting in each of his last five league starts at the Etihad Stadium.
Kevin de Bruyne has recorded nine goals and four assists in his last 15 Premier League appearances.
Watford
Watford have lost a league-high 22 league games this season. It is their highest number of defeats in any top-flight campaign other than 1999-00, when they lost 26 matches.
Their last nine Premier League points (including all eight under Roy Hodgson) were won in away games.
They have taken just one point from the last 39 available in league games at the reigning top-flight champions, with that coming in a 2-2 draw at Chelsea in December 2015.
The Hornets have conceded 45 goals in those 13 games, including an 8-0 defeat in their most recent fixture at Manchester City.
Watford are the only side yet to score a Premier League goal from outside the box this season.
All three of Roy Hodgson’s Premier League wins over Manchester City have come away from home: two with Fulham and one with Crystal Palace. He has only defeated Newcastle United (four wins) more often on the road.
Hodgson can become the first visiting manager to win a Premier League game at the Etihad Stadium in charge of as many as three different clubs.
