Watford could be closer to a full-strength squad this weekend when they face Cardiff City at Vicarage Road this weekend.

Vladimir Ivic is hoping that players absent due to positive coronavirus tests could return this weekend, while Tom Cleverley and Will Hughes could be involved.

The head coach suggested that the 0-0 draw against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday could have come as a consequence of him not rotating his players, but he hopes his returning squad members will afford him more chances to do that.

“In the last two games before this one, [the players] did a good performance,” said Ivic. “And in some position we don’t have a solution and we need to use the players what we have.

“We need to wait now to think about the the players who will come back after a different kind of reason and hope that for the next game we will have two or three players more.”

While Cleverley returned to the match day squad for the trip to the City Ground, Hughes was absent despite also returning to training this week.

The head coach wants to be cautious after seeing the midfielder already pick up an injury after returning, with striker Andre Gray suffering a similar fate.

“Hughes started to work with us yesterday, two days ago,” said Ivic after the game at Forest. “Now, after a long period of his injury. First one, he’s come back and then picked up a second one. He’s come back, we must be smart I said that a lot of times, we have an example with Andre Gray, he has been out for two or three month and second game in a row, he, he had the injury. I will not put him to play if he’s not ready.”