Hall to miss Manchester City F.A Cup clash

Fitz Hall has been ruled out of Saturday's F.A Cup clash at Manchester City after picking up a hamstring problem against Brighton.

The experienced centre-half was withdrawn against Brighton & Hove Albion on December 29 and Watford's Head of Medical Marco Cesarini says that the defender will miss Saturday's game.

Speaking to watfordfc.com, Cesarini confirmed the blow:

Fitz has a stretch of fibres within his hamstring - although it is a minor matter,' explained Cesarini.

'We're looking at the next League match at the earliest for his availability. We need to take care with Fitz on this one, as there have been issues in the past in this area.'

Watford's next league game is at Middlesbrough on January 12.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Manuel Almunia is expected to be okay for Saturday after feeling his hamstring against Charlton Athletic on New Years Day.

'He felt a little tightness but was able to complete the game. I'm not expecting any major concerns but it's something we'll monitor closely this week, leading up to Saturday's fixture.'

Finally, young midfielder Connor Smith is working through an individual rehab programme after a knee problem.

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