Luton Town vs Watford injury latest with 5 out and 3 doubtful
Watford won 2-1 at home to Middlesbrough in their last outing before the international break. They are sat in 6th place in the Championship table.
The Hornets are back in action this weekend with an away trip to Kenilworth Road to take on rivals Luton Town. Here is a look at the latest injury news regarding the pair…
Watford
Defender Jeremy Ngakia is back in contention for Watford. The former West Ham full-back, who is 24-years-old, has played twice so far this season.
In this latest update, Cleverley has said, as per a report by the Watford Observer: “Ngakia has returned well and in a very good condition, and he gives us an option on either side. You’ve seen England playing Trippier on the opposite side during the Euros.
“Our wing-backs are doing fantastic in an attacking sense, but I’ve openly demanded more from them in the defensive aspect. Jeremy is a great option to have on both sides, right and left. We all know he’s been very unlucky with his injury record, and we have to manage him whole he has to manage himself.
“If he stays fit, he’s a really big player for us. I think it’s important players feel ready when they’re coming back, especially as he’s facing Luton, Leeds, Blackburn, so we’ll possibly use the Under-21 games to get him time on the pitch.”
Goalkeeper Dan Bachmann picked up an injury away at Norwich City in late September. He is now back available for the Hornets and Cleverley has said: “Bachmann is fit to play now and he’s not been out as long as Jeremy, so we wouldn’t put him into an Under-21 game.”
Defensive pair Francisco Sierralta and Kevin Keben remain sidelined for the Hertfordshire club. Their head coach has said: “Sierralta is still just not quite ready and Keben is on the right track but we’re still three or four weeks away from seeing him. I didn’t think we would be light in defence when you looked at it at the start of the season.
“I wouldn’t say (Antonio) Tikvic’s development plan is behind schedule because he only played one game for Udinese last season, and this is a challenging environment to be thrust into.
“But he trains fantastically and is a great character, and although he probably wants to hear that he’s going to play 15 or 20 games this season, I will give credit to any player who wants to do all they can to develop themselves and he certainly does that.”
Luton Town
As for Luton Town, centre-back Mark McGuinness had to withdraw from Republic of Ireland international duties due to injury. He joined them in the summer from Cardiff City but has now emerged as a doubt for their upcoming clash against Watford.
Midfielder Shandon Baptiste returned away at Sheffield United in their last outing. Tahith Chong and Carlton Morris will need to be checked on and Mads Andersen and Daiki Hashioki are both sidelined, whilst Liam Walsh is suspended.
