Gabby Agbonlahor could miss out on selection in Aston Villa’s matchday 18 this weekend against Birmingham City, despite the forward’s fine goalscoring record in the Second City derby.  

A report in the Birmingham Mail has indicated that it is likely to be Agbonlahor and Lewis Grabban competing for a place on the bench on Sunday, with the latter likely to edge that particular battle to make Steve Bruce’s squad.

Agbonlahor, 31, has a fine goalscoring record in the Second City derby, and last season proved to be the difference between the two sides at Villa Park. However, the experienced forward has struggled for regular football since that clash, playing little over 300 minutes of football.

Grabban was a deadline day arrival at Villa Park, with Bruce moving to bring the striker in on-loan from AFC Bournemouth, adding to a strikeforce already including Agbonlahor, Scott Hogan and Keinan Davis.

The 30-year-old spent the first-half of the season with Sunderland, who he scored 12 goals for, which is more than any of Villa’s strikers have scored this season.

Villa enter Sunday’s Second City derby in third, with Bruce’s side looking for a chance to break into the Championship’s top-two in the coming weeks.

The Verdict

It is hard to ignore Agbonlahor’s stunning record in the Second City derby, however, his lack of football since April’s clash with Birmingham will be a big concern for Bruce.

Grabban has arrived at Villa Park on-loan and will be expecting to play, and if Bruce has a decision to make between him and Agbonlahor, you’d expect him to go with the striker who has scored 12 goals this season.

Aston Villa fans… Let us know your thoughts!