Watford to make changes for Fulham FA Cup tie

Watford will be forced into making changes for Thursday's FA Cup third-round tie at Fulham, says head coach Tom Cleverley.

The Hornets have played five Championship games in a fortnight, losing four of them, and Cleverley says some of his players need a break.

"We simply haven't got the luxury of going out and replacing a really important player, so some have to be wrapped up in cotton wool," he told his pre-match news conference.

"If we had been playing Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Thursday, Tuesday, I think on Thursday you can go strong, but we've not. We've been playing Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday."

Cleverley has confirmed fringe players Pierre Dwomoh, Mamadou Doumbia and Antonio Tikvic will all be given some game time at Craven Cottage.

"I expect all of them to see the pitch at some point tomorrow," he said.

"There will be enough experience in there tomorrow to know what kind of game plan we are going for. We know we are going to have to manage the game in periods, going to a Premier League team who are on an unbeaten run."