Darren Bent Fit To Play Against Stoke

Missing the Liverpool and Arsenal defeats must have given Darren Bent enough time to finish his Christmas shopping -- or he has no need to hit the post-Christmas sales -- because the Aston Villa striker will return for the Boxing Day match against Stoke City. Apparently Bent has recovered from a thigh strain (most of us didn't even know what his 'injury' was) and will be set to lead the Villa on Monday.

In all honesty, I'm not sure how to feel about this news. On one hand, I think Bent could be at his best against the likes of Stoke. On the other, the Villa looked as good as I've seen them this season without their record signing. So what do we do?

The answer is so obvious that I'm sure Alex McLeish will overlook it in favor of a different tactic: play Gabby Agbonlahor centrally, behind Bent. That way Charles N'Zogbia and Marc Albrighton can continue to provide the service we saw against Arsenal on Wednesday -- the service Bent so desperately needs.

So look forward to seeing Gabby on the left, everyone!

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