Squad sheets: Stoke City v Aston Villa

Darren Bent's return from Christmas shopper to frontline striker for this match could prove crucial for Alex McLeish. The Aston Villa manager's relationship with the club's fans remains fractured and could fully snap should the visitors suffer a third straight league loss here. Stoke's recent fine form was disrupted by a 3-0 loss at Manchester City, but that hardly counts as a setback. They will hope Peter Crouch can recover from illness in time to face his former club and, in the process, notch his 100th career league goal. Sachin Nakrani Venue Britannia Stadium Tickets £18-£40 (0178 236 7599) Last season Stoke 2 Aston Villa 1 Referee M Clattenburg This season's matches 11 Y 38, R 4, 3.82 cards per game Odds Stoke 9-10 Aston Villa 3-1 Draw 12-5 Stoke City Subs from Begovic, Upson, Wilkinson, Delap, Pennant, Palacios, Fuller, Higginbotham, Jerome, Crouch, Arismendi, Diao Doubtful Whelan (calf), Crouch (illness) Injured Sidibe (knee, unknown) Suspended None Form guide LWWWWL Disciplinary record Y30 R0 Leading scorer Walters, Crouch 4 Aston Villa Subs from Marshall, Ireland, Weimann, Bannan, Delph, Heskey, Delfouneso, Cuéllar Doubtful Collins (knee), Heskey (achilles) Injured Given (hamstring, Jan), Jenas (achilles, May), Lichaj (hip, unknown) Suspended Hutton (one match) Form guide LLWLDL Disciplinary record Y34 R2 Leading scorer Agbonlahor, Bent 5 Match pointers • Six of the eight Premier League goals Stoke have scored against Aston Villa have come in the last 10 minutes of matches • Villa have lost only two of their last nine away league games but have failed to score in four of their last six league fixtures anywhere • Kenwyne Jones scored in both meetings between these sides last season • Charles N'Zogbia has had more shots off target than any other Villa player this campaign (12) • Only Stoke have managed fewer shots on target than their visitors this season – 48 compared to 52