Blackburn Rovers will have to check on the fitness of Sam Szmodics and Harry Pickering for the trip to Huddersfield Town.

Top-scorer Szmodics missed the 2-1 defeat to Huddersfield Town due to fatigue. Jon Dahl Tomasson explained before the match that they would not risk the 28-year-old, who had started every Championship game until the weekend.

The Rovers head coach also alluded to a doubt in the Rovers squad, which turned out to be Harry Pickering. He is also not badly injured but wasn't fit enough to play after featuring heavily this season.

Both players might be available for the short trip down the M62 to Huddersfield but Tomasson will check on their fitness on Christmas Day before making a decision.

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"It's too early to know if they'll be ready," Tomasson said. "The medical department are working very hard to get them ready.

"Hopefully they will be ready but we have a lot of games coming up. We want to get them back but let's wait and see.

"Some of these players have played a lot, we hope Harry will be ready for the next game, it is fatigue. 

"If they play, they have a high chance of injury and could be then out for five, six weeks. When you can't rotate, you can't take risks."

Dom Hyam made his return to the starting line-up and played 67 minutes before he was replaced by James Hill. The vice-captain was faultless on his return and his experience was missed in the final 15 minutes as Watford turned the game around.

Tomasson revealed that Hyam asked to be substituted with 25 minutes to go. Although he was not injured, the defender felt as though he had to come off at that stage.

"We are missing players so it's difficult to rotate, normally you always would in a period like this," he said.

"I don't know how much Dom will play. He had to come off, I didn't want to take him off. We are trying to build him up.

"He was on the bench at Southampton after one training session just to help the team. I thought he was excellent today but he said he needed to come off.

"He is not injured, he's an experienced player but when you haven't played for a while you can't play for 90 minutes just like that."