Alex McLeish is looking to Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor to inflict the kind of derby misery on West Brom that he endured when manager of Birmingham in Saturday's clash at Villa Park.
McLeish was on the receiving end of three goals from Agbonlahor, including two winners, for Villa against Blues in just five appearances. Agbonlahor has also demonstrated his scoring prowess against the Baggies and Wolves, and will be looking to continue his impressive form under McLeish which has helped revive his England hopes. Villa manager McLeish said: "I believe we've got the tools upfront that can hurt them. "Gabby certainly enjoys playing in the derbies and won enough games for Villa against Birmingham. "He won a penalty at Villa Park a couple of years ago to settle the game and got the winner in the same season at St. Andrew's. "Birmingham lost both games that season and it was down to Agbonlahor."
McLeish has managed to get the best out of Agbonlahor since replacing Gerard Houllier in the summer and believes he can be a major force if he shows more self-belief. He said: "Gabby has trained really hard, showed fantastic application in training, showed he wanted to be in the team. "He knew I rated him highly as a player because he probably had a lot of feedback about my opinion on him "If Gabby really gets strong in terms of his self-belief, he can be anything he wants."
McLeish is happy with the way Agbonlahor's partnership with Darren Bent has flourished, but he feels there is still more to come from the duo. He said: "These guys are doing well, they've scored some goals, they've got to be hungry to score more. "I know they are capable of that. They look as if they are in pretty confident mood. "We look to get these guys into the dangerous areas and to provide the ammunition for them."
Villa central defender James Collins is set to return against Albion after missing the trip to the Etihad Stadium with foot and groin injuries. But midfielder Jermaine Jenas is still sidelined with an Achilles problem and is yet to make his debut since moving on loan from Tottenham in August. West Brom boss Roy Hodgson has backed derby rival McLeish's summer move from Birmingham to Villa and insists it was a "simple decision" to make despite opposition from some fans. Hodgson cannot understand what the fuss was about given that Birmingham were relegated and Villa are still the biggest team in the city in terms of financial resources.
He also believes the supporters opposed to McLeish will soon change their opinion if Villa have a successful season. Hodgson said: "I don't know why it should be considered a bold move to move from a team that has been relegated to the biggest team in the Birmingham area, at least traditionally. "Certainly, if you talk in terms of financial resources and financial power, Villa are the biggest team in the area. "I don't think ourselves, Wolves or Birmingham would compare ourselves to Aston Villa. "If you look at the money they pay for players, you don't see the other teams doing that. "They're the ones with the money and the power and the ones who are expected to get into the top six far more than us others. "It seems to me to be a fairly simple decision to make if you've got the chance to move to that club from a club that has been relegated. I don't know what's particularly bold about it."
Hodgson is hoping last season's leading scorer, Peter Odemwingie, can kickstart his season after netting the second goal in the 2-0 win over Wolves last weekend. Odemwingie came off the substitutes' bench and looked sharp after his recent ankle problems but admits he faces competition from Shane Long, Somen Tchoyi and Simon Cox. Hodgson said: "It was good to see him come on and be the player we know he can be. "He's missed a lot of football this year. I think he has started only three or four games. "His season is still in its infancy but it was good to see him come and take Somen's place, have a good spell, and what's more, score a cracking goal. "Somen and Shane looked very good together. Somen is doing very well and Cox is having a good spell so we're in good, good shape up front."
Aston Villa V West Brom - view commentary, squad, and statictics of the game live.
Source: DSG
