Watford have the third highest rate of injuries in the Premier League this season, according to PremierInjuries.com.

A table published by the website's injury analyst Ben Dinnery takes into account the number of absences a team has had, the number of days missed due to injuries and the number of injuries per 1,000 minutes of football.

Overall, the Hornets come off third worst this season, behind only Everton and Leeds United, as a number of problems have ruled out key players throughout the campaign.

Long-term problems for the likes of record signing Ismaila Sarr, who has been injured for a total of 78 days this season and missed 12 matches, and Peter Etebo, who missed 154 days and 21 matches, as well as injuries for the likes of Christian Kabasele and Nicolas Nkoulou has meant that the Hornets have had to plug gaps more than most to ensure their side were able to compete.

Whether or not it has had an effect on their season is up for debate, but with Newcastle United completing the top four in the table, there is perhaps evidence to suggest that sides who have had the most injuries this season have also been struggling to remain competitive, with all four battling relegation for the majority of the campaign.

However, eighth place Burnley and tenth place Norwich suggest there might be less of a relationship between injuries and league position, as does the fact that Liverpool are 11th.

Watford's problems have improved in recent weeks, with almost a full squad available for their last game against Liverpool.

They face second place Leeds this weekend, whose troubles are ongoing, with Patrick Bamford set to miss out on the match and Joe Gelhardt a doubt after he was substituted during an Under-23 game earlier this week.