Troy Deeney could return to action for Watford on Wednesday when they face Stoke in the Sky Bet Championship.

The Hornets club captain missed pre-season and then suffered another injury setback on his comeback performance against Luton in September.

Deeney has stepped up his efforts in training and is expected to feature in at least one of Watford’s two home fixtures this week.

Andre Gray and Will Hughes both returned to action as substitutes against Barnsley at the weekend and are likely to play a bigger part on Wednesday evening.

Stoke boss Michael O’Neill is not contending with any new injury worries ahead of the clash.

Nathan Collins’ involvement is in doubt as the defender continues to struggle with the hamstring issue that has forced him to miss two fixtures.

James Chester is also still unavailable due to the calf injury that ruled him out against Rotherham at the weekend.

Sam Clucas will play no part due to injuries to both his calf and shin.