Watford dealt double injury blow ahead of QPR and Sheffield United clashes


Watford were dealt two fresh injury concerns in their home defeat to Cardiff City on Sunday ahead of the trip to QPR on New Year's Day and upcoming visit of Sheffield United.
Tom Cleverley's side lost at home for the first time this season against Cardiff in a performance that disappointed the Hornets head coach. Cleverley may also now have to prepare to take on the R's without two key first team stars.
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Hide AdMidfielder Rocco Vata was replaced at half time against Cardiff City with Imran Louza also hauled off shortly after the break. Speaking after the match, Cleverley said: “Vata and Louza were nursing injuries at half-time, and I was told they were at high risk for the second half. So I had to deal with bringing off two influential players due to them being at high risk. As a result, we lost a little bit of momentum.
“Vata was feeling a calf issue at half-time and I was warned about it, and with so many games coming up I couldn’t risk losing a player like him for six to eight weeks. So unfortunately I was forced into that change.
“With Imran he was nursing a knee issue as well as walking a tightrope having been booked, so that change was forced upon us as well.”


It remains to be seen whether Cleverley's proactive substitutions have spared the players from time on the sidelines but, with Championship fixtures coming thick and fast, there are fears that Vata and Louza could miss out against QPR and Sheffield United.
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Hide AdWatford travel to Loftus Road on New Year's Day for a 12:30 pm kick-off against an R's side who clung onto a point away at Norwich City last weekend. Marti Cifuentes' side have lost just one of their last nine league outings.
Cleverley critical of Watford performance
It's then back to Vicarage Road for the Hornets with the visit of fellow promotion-chasing outfit Sheffield United. The Blades sit second in the league, 12 points and five places ahead of Watford, but the London side does have a game in hand.
Speaking after the defeat to Cardiff City, who languish 22nd in the Championship, Cleverley was critical of his side's performance. He told the Watford Observer: “Look at the way we started the game again.
“One thing you don’t want to do against a team fighting for their lives is give them hope to cling onto, and allow them to try and break the game up.
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Hide Ad“Along with that we made far too many unforced errors, which we didn’t do against Portsmouth. It meant we couldn’t accumulate pressure and we let them off the hook too many times with sloppiness and lack of concentration. It was a defeat we have to take on the chin and admit that, to a man, we weren’t good enough.”
QPR could be without Lucas Andersen
QPR have their own injury worries to contend with when hosting Watford in their first match of 2025. Cifuentes has already been coping without key defender Steve Cook and added Liam Morrison to the treatment table before the meeting with Norwich City.


During the fixture against the Canaries, midfielder Lucas Andersen was also subbed early due to an injury worry and is a doubt going into the two matches this week, with the visit of Luton Town following at the weekend after the Watford match.
Speaking after full-time on Sunday, Cifuentes was asked for an update on Andersen. He said: "It seems that he felt his calf in the same action. We need to assess and see what happens. I can't give you an accurate answer."
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