Ken Sema comes back into contention for tomorrow’s FA Cup tie with Southampton at Vicarage Road, and although short of match fitness Emmanuel Dennis will be available after his loan move from Nottingham Forest.

“Yes Sema will be back, and Lewis obviously returned last week,” said Valerien Ismael, adding: “Dennis will be available as well.

“The only two players out of the squad are Kayembe and Ngakia.

“We have good signs on both of those two that they will be back with us soon.

“Everything has been good with Kayembe since he came back, and so if everything continues to go right then in two weeks he will be able to join the team to train.”

In the third round against Chesterfield, the Hornets fielded a strong side while other clubs used the chance to rotate players.

Ismael said the FA Cup will not be taken lightly by him and his players.

“The FA Cup is a big competition with a lot of tradition and we respect that,” he explained.

“Plus the players want to play against a big team that is flying in the league. It’s a great game for us.

“We have players coming back and it will give us the chance to get them minutes as they get back into the rhythm.”

In the mind of the manager, any match is an important match – he’s not prioritising the league over the cup tomorrow.

“I see it as another game, the next game. It is another chance to win a game and maintain our rhythm,” he said.

“The purpose is always to get through to the next round, and we are at home.

“We’ve played them already and we know we have the quality to face them, it’s a cup game and so anything is possible.

“Southampton are a great team with a great manager who has a clear way of playing. We were close against them last time and we want to keep our performance on the same level.”