Quique Sanchez Flores admits doubts over his Watford future will affect players
Watford head coach Quique Sanchez Flores admits the uncertainty around his future could either inspire his players or unsettle them.
Flores has confirmed there is a break clause in his contract this summer and refused to dispel doubts over whether he will still be in charge at Vicarage Road next season.
Watford owner Gino Pozzo is believed to be unhappy with the team's miserable second half of the campaign, in which the Hornets have managed only two victories in 11 Barclays Premier League matches.
They can improve that record with a win against already-relegated Aston Villa on Saturday but Flores cannot be sure how his players' mindset will have been affected.
"When these rumours affect the coach, normally, we know the players can react in two ways," Flores said.
"The coach needs to be strong and protect them from everything. If someone detects a weakness from the coach it isn't good for the team or the performances."
Watford have never avoided relegation from the top flight since the Premier League era began but they have all but secured safety this time around, sitting 10 points clear of the bottom three with four games left to play.
The Hornets also reached the FA Cup semi-final, which they lost to Crystal Palace at Wembley last weekend.
"When I came here the objective of the club was very, very clear - how important it is to establish the club in the Premier League," Flores said.
"This is the first step but it is the most difficult step. The first year is difficult. The players think about if they want to come here. We had problems last summer to get good professional players from another level.
"It is the first step and we have put the first step in the future of the club."
Odion Ighalo is expected to play despite the death of his father last weekend.
Ighalo's father died shortly after Sunday's FA Cup semi-final defeat but the striker has trained this week and is available.
Etienne Capoue, however, will miss out as the French midfielder sustained a knee injury at Wembley.
Aston Villa caretaker manager Eric Black admits he has not enjoyed being in charge of the sinking club.
The 52-year-old has lost his four games since taking over from Remi Garde last month and Villa were relegated from the Premier League on his watch two weeks ago.
They have lost their last 10 matches and defeat at Vicarage Road would equal a club record losing run which was set in 1963.
While in charge Black has seen Gabriel Agbonlahor suspended and step down as club captain after he was pictured apparently partying after Villa's relegation.
He also dropped Jores Okore to the under-21s after claiming the defender had said he was not in the right frame of mind to be on the bench against Bournemouth this month.
"I've got to be honest - I don't think there's been a lot of enjoyment," said Black, with Villa bottom and about to slip out of the top flight since 1987.
"I don't want it to sound like I'm looking for sympathy because I'm not but there's a lot of negativity around, especially over the last seven or eight weeks and that has made it hard.
"This is not a normal job in football, you're not working with normal football elements here.
"But the elements are what they are and I'm caretaker manager so I will do what I can to make sure it remains professional and hopefully get a result Saturday."
Black expects to remain in charge until the end of the season with Villa linked to Nigel Pearson and David Moyes but admitted he remains in the dark about his own future.
"I'm taking it on until the last game as far as I know and that will be as far as I go with the team," he said.
Black will be without Kieran Richardson (calf) and Libor Kozak (ankle) while Micah Richards is nursing a knee problem.
Source: PAR
