Striker Nathan Ellington will push for his first start in a month after returning from a knee injury as a substitute against Swansea before the international break.
Fellow forward Danny Graham passed a late check on his knee problem to face the Swans and came through unscathed, scoring his third goal of the season in the 1-1 draw.
Defender Mike Williamson did not travel to the Liberty Stadium prior to his deadline-day switch to Portsmouth, so Adrian Mariappa partnered skipper Jay DeMerit at centre-half with Lee Hodson making his league debut at right-back.
The Hornets are still searching for their first home win of the season, having drawn against Doncaster and Blackpool at Vicarage Road so far this season.
Barnsley defender Bobby Hassell is expected to return to the squad for the clash but striker Daniel Bogdanovic has been ruled out.
Hassell, sidelined with an Achilles injury sustained in the defeat at Leicester at the end of last month, trained with the first-team squad on Thursday and could start in new manager Mark Robins' first game.
Malta international Bogdanovic turned his ankle in training on Wednesday and will be sidelined for at least three weeks.
Central defender Darren Moore has been struggling in recent weeks with a foot problem that has required injections, but is expected to start.
Goalkeeper Luke Steele remains three to four weeks away from a return to first-team action due to a broken finger, so summer signing David Preece should make his debut.
Sporting Life