Claudio Ranieri has said he will need to assess his defensive options ahead of Watford's trip to Burnley in midweek.

William Troost-Ekong and Craig Cathcart have both participated in all but one league match this season, with Troost-Ekong missing only the 1-0 defeat at Arsenal.

However, injuries mean it is likely the duo will start together at the centre of the Hornets' defence again come Wednesday night when they travel to Turf Moor, with other options remaining unavailable.

Francisco Sierralta is unlikely to be back in time for the trip to Lancashire, while Nicolas Nkoulou is out until at least the new year.

Elsewhere Belgian defender Christian Kabasele was named on the bench for the defeat at Brentford, but did not warm up with the substitutes after picking up a knock in training.

"Yesterday in the training session, he received a kick and today he wasn’t so well, so I can’t put him in the battle," said Ranieri after last night's match when asked about Kabasele.

Ranieri then faced further questions about his defence, after Troost-Ekong's rash tackle in stoppage time gave away a penalty that cost Watford a point in a game in which they held the lead five minutes before the end of normal time.

"Now we will see everything, I will speak with [Troost-Ekong]," he continued.

"Also I will have to see if there are some players ready to play because my defensive line is not ready to play. Kabasele tonight wasn’t ready, Sierralta isn’t ready. I have to see."

The head coach does not believe his defenders' problems are psychological and said that whoever plays against Burnley in midweek simply has to be stronger than those who played against Brentford.

"I don’t know if it’s psychological because Watford came in the Premier League this season and it's normal to be in relegation battle," he said. "We knew that and we have to react, we have to play stronger than tonight. There will be another battle in a few days, we must be ready for the battle."