Agbonlahor on for Villa

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert preferred Gabriel Agbonlahor to £18m record signing Darren Bent up front for the Barclays Premier League midlands derby with West Brom at Villa Park.

Lambert made three other changes from the last league game at Southampton with left-back Joe Bennett, midfielders Marc Albrighton and Fabian Delph brought in for Eric Lichaj, Barry Bannan and the injured Stephen Ireland respectively.

West Brom boss Steve Clarke handed a debut to summer loan signing, left-back Goran Popov, in place of the injured Liam Ridgewell (thigh) while Shane Long returned in attack at the expense of Romelu Lukaku.

Aston Villa: Guzan, Lowton, Vlaar, Clark, Bennett, Albrighton, Holman, El Ahmadi, Delph, Agbonlahor, Benteke. Subs: Given, Bent, N’Zogbia, Westwood, Bannan, Weimann, Lichaj.

West Brom: Foster, Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Popov, Morrison, Mulumbu, Yacob, Brunt, Gera, Long. Subs: Luke Daniels, Rosenberg, El Ghanassy, Dorrans, Lukaku, Tamas, Fortune.

Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)