Tony Pulis has done his West Brom homework on Watford

But Baggies boss Tony Pulis is confident he’s done enough homework on the Hornets ahead of tonight’s trip to Vicarage Road.

For casual observers, Walter Mazzarri’s ragtag team of players jetted in from the Pozzo family’s clubs on the continent can occasionally feel like Troy Deeney and a backing band. Not for Pulis.

“They’ve got a strong squad,” he said. “They’re players not everyone has heard of before because they’ve got this connection with two or three other European clubs. They move players around. But they’re good players.

“I was looking at Miguel Britos and where he’s played in Italy. You don’t realise because he’s not a big name but he’s been at some top clubs and if you look at their players, most of them have played at a very good level abroad.”

The Pozzos own Udinese in Italy and used to own Granada in Spain too, before they sold it to a Chinese businessman last year.

Pulis has first-hand experience of the talent they have moved from those clubs because Allan Nyom, who he bought from Watford on deadline day last summer, spent six seasons at Granada before his one campaign at Vicarage Road.

The full-back was surplus to requirements under Mazzarri but he has turned into a cult hero at The Hawthorns this season, impressing all with his unorthodox lung-busting runs up the left wing.

However, he felt it necessary to apologise after December’s meeting between these two teams when he celebrated after the final whistle of a 3-1 win in the direction of an away end who had been giving him grief during the game.

Pulis, who didn’t see the fist-pump at the time, warned Nyom to keep his emotions in check on his first return to Vicarage Road.

“I think he’s got to be careful and sensible more than anything else,” said Pulis. “Hopefully when the game starts he’ll manage it well and play as well as he has done. We’re chuffed to bits with Allan. He’s been fantastic for us.”

Despite being on course for a record-breaking season, Albion are yet to do the double over any team.

The home form has been electric, but away from home the Baggies have won just three games all season, and just one of those in the last nine. This week Pulis has spoken to his players about quickening up their speed of play.

“The Arsenal game we played really well on the counter-attack because we got the first pass off and got runners with that pass,” he said. “The United game we didn’t do that, and against the top teams that can really get you pinned in and they pinned us in because of that reason.

“There were areas we could have exploited a lot more if we’d been careful about our passing.

“I’m talking about our top technical players making basic mistakes.”

The head coach is contemplating changing his attack. Salomon Rondon is expected to start instead of Hal Robson-Kanu and James Morrison also may come in.

But the game will probably come too early for Matt Phillips, who remains a doubt with his calf problem.