Watford medics will assess the fitness of Odion Ighalo hours leading up to their Premier League tie with Stoke City at the Vic on Saturday.

The Hornets manager Quique Sanchez Flores has confirmed the story by allnigeriasoccer.com last Sunday, stating that he’ll only take a decision on whether to include his trusted striker in the squad just before the teams step out onto the pitch.

 “We have to check. At this moment we have three or four players who are recovering,” Flores told reporters on Thursday.

"My feeling is some of them will be OK but not all the players will be ready. But we will know for sure tomorrow.” 

According to Ighalo, himself, he started training with Watford only two days ago, though he has declared himself fit for the showdown against the Potters plus the African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Egypt next Friday.

If he is named in the starting XI, it would be the 29th game in a row he has been included in the team sheet since the season started.

The former Lyn Oslo and Granada star picked up a slight muscle strain injury in the sixth round of the FA Cup against Arsenal.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel