Joao Pedro and Joshua King missing as Watford host Aston Villa

Watford will be without strike duo Joao Pedro and Joshua King as they host Aston Villa on their Premier League return.

Pedro (knee) is missing while King will have to wait to make his Hornets’ debut due to a minor groin issue.

Nathaniel Chalobah is also absent through illness but Peter Etebo, Imran Louza and Emmanuel Dennis could be in line to make their competitive debuts.

Villa will check on striker Ollie Watkins before heading south after the striker took a bang to knee during pre-season.

New signing Leon Bailey has had to isolate since arriving from Jamaica but trained on Thursday and will go straight into the squad, while fellow new face Emi Buendia is fit after an adductor issue disrupted his own build-up to the campaign.

Douglas Luiz is yet to return from the Olympics while Morgan Sanson and Bertrand Traore are short of fitness as they continue to recover from injury.

Provisional Watford squad: Foster, Bachmann, Ngakia, Troost-Ekong, Cathcart, Masina, Kabasele, Femenia, Sierralta, Navarro, Rose, Cleverley, Gosling, Quina, Louza, Etebo, Deeney, Sema, Gray, Success, Sarr, Dennis, Fletcher.

Provisional Villa squad: Martinez, Steer, Cash, Targett, Konsa, Mings, Young, Guilbert, Hause, Tuanzebe, McGinn, Buendia, Hourihane, Trezeguet, Nakamba, El Ghazi, Ramsey, Bailey, Moraes, Watkins, Ings, Davis.