Adrian Boothroyd will hand a late fitness test to Watford defender Danny Shittu ahead of Saturday's crunch meeting with Wigan.
Shittu hobbled off with an ankle sprain towards the end of the Hornets' 2-1 defeat to Arsenal and is rated 50-50 for the meeting with the Latics.
Boothroyd's other major concerns are in attack, with Hameur Bouazza expected to be out for up to six weeks with a dislocated shoulder and Marlon King ruled out until the end of the season with a knee injury.
James Chambers (gash) and Clarke Carlisle (muscle) are also missing.
Wigan captain Arjan de Zeeuw returns to the side for the match at Watford after missing the defeat at Manchester United with an ongoing toe injury.
But manager Paul Jewell is again without several players, notably striker Henri Camara with a knee problem and winger Lee McCulloch who completes a three-match ban.
Jewell has confirmed midfielder Paul Scharner is out for up to eight weeks after undergoing knee surgery, while Ryan Taylor, Antonio Valencia and Steve McMillan are also sidelined.
Striker Svetoslav Todorov plays his last game of a four-month loan deal from Portsmouth.
Watford squad: Foster, Stewart, DeMerit, Mahon, Henderson, Young, Shittu, Bangura, Mariappa, Smith, Francis, Doyley, Lee, McNamee, Priskin.
Wigan Athletic squad: Kirkland, Jackson, Hall, Kilbane, Cywka, Johansson, Landzaat, Heskey, Boyce, Cotterill, Skoko, Baines, de Zeeuw, Wright, Todorov, Teale, Pollitt.
