Agbonlahor winning fitness battle

Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor is winning his battle to be fit for the clash with Reading.

Agbonlahor was forced to pull out of the England squad against Switzerland and also missed Villa’s 4-1 win over Newcastle with a hamstring injury.

But he has made good progress during Villa’s mini sunshine break in Spain.

Villa boss Martin O’Neill has to decide whether to persevere with Olof Mellberg and Stiliyan Petrov who were both substituted at half-time against Kevin Keegan’s side.

Team (from) Carson, Taylor, Mellberg, Gardner, Laursen, Davies, Knight, Bouma, Petrov, Reo-Coker, Barry, Young, Berger, Maloney, Carew, Maloney, Agbonlahor, Osbourne, Routledge.