Watmore set to travel to Preston

There was brighter news elsewhere though, with Jonny Williams, who missed the Portman Road defeat through illness, expected to be involved.

Grayson said: “Marc Wilson will probably miss the game. He has been carrying a bit of a groin for the last two or three games but managed to get through until just after half-time on Tuesday night.

“He won’t be available. It gives somebody else the opportunity to come into the team.

“(Callum) McManaman and Williams have trained, so we will see if they are going to be fit enough and strong enough to get through the 90 minutes or coming off the bench.”

Striker Lewis Grabban, who has been out with a hamstring injury, is back doing light work with the club’s physios at the Academy of Light, but he is still a few weeks away from a return.

Grayson added: “Lewis is back out on the grass in terms of light work with the physios, but he is still going to be a few more weeks yet. The hamstring was not a few days it was a few weeks. “He is making progress. “Josh Maja isn’t far away from being back with us and I think he will be back joining in training next week. The Hertha Berlin game (for the Under-23s), he might be available too.

“You get them players back and get the extra game time under the belt for one or two others then the squad looks a lot healthier and there is quality and competition for places, which is what we need.”