With defensive injuries stacking up, Steve Bruce’s Sunderland will be looking to combat their frailties at the back by scoring plenty of goals at the opposite end of the pitch. Darren Bent’s proven pedigree is set to spearhead much of the team’s attacking play as they look to build on their current position of 7th in the Premier League.
Looking at Sunderland’s upcoming fixtures (BOL, mun, BLP, BLA, avl, NEW) you would expect the Black Cats to feel confident, particularly ahead of the Stadium of Light encounters; Bent surely looks likely to add to his 7 goal tally for the season over the Christmas period.
Fantasy Mangers will be considering their attacking options right now as uncertainty looms over the troubled Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov attempts to edge back into the United starting lineup at Stamford Bridge. Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres are yet to ignite and look somewhat of a gamble, so, as Fantasy Managers hunt for a guaranteed goalscorer to complement the mid-price potential of Andy Carroll and Johan Elmander – Darren Bent stands out as a strong option.
Priced at £8.6 million in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, Bent is far from unobtainable at a time when many Fantasy Managers have cash to burn as the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Rafael Van der Vaart and Frank Lampard limp back into the reckoning.
The form of Danny Welbeck and Asamoah Gyan is a consideration and will keep Bent on his toes. Indeed, Chairman Niall Quinn has only recently commented on the competition for places up front…
“Danny Welbeck’s put a spanner in the works, and it won’t be long before Fraizer Campbell’s back from injury. He was on fire this summer, and we thought he’d have a really good year. It’s healthy competition, and hopefully all four of them can bounce off each other for the next few months, and we can have a strong finish to the season.”
But with Welbeck able to operate on the right-wing and Gyan often benched, Bent’s position as the club’s principal striker has been established and he should be considered an almost dead-cert to be in the starting XI.
With a stuttering International career for England, blighted by bad luck, Bent will be hoping to build up some decent form going into the next batch of Euro 2012 qualifiers in the New Year. He could be the perfect reliable source of points over Christmas, as Fantasy Mangers look to bring some stability to their lineups in an unpredictable season.
