Fulham striker Darren Bent says Fulham will have to take any chances that fall their way to edge a close game against Stoke City.
The 29-year-old has scored twice in six appearances since joining the Cottagers on loan from Aston Villa and is hopeful he can bag a third on Saturday.
He is expecting the Potters to be as powerful and organised under Mark Hughes as they were under Tony Pulis but reckons he can leave them empty handed.
“Saturday is a good opportunity for us, and although Stoke are a good side, I think we can get the result we need,” he said.
“Stoke will be tough, like they always are, but we can make the home advantage count and get the three points. Under Mark Hughes they have a slightly different approach to previous seasons perhaps.
“They will be up for the battle, because their core group of players have been doing that for years. But they can mix it up a bit more now, they’ve got players that can get it down and play. They’re a good side, and will be targeting three points themselves, but hopefully we can come out on top.
“It was a close game at Craven Cottage between the two last season, so I’m told, with a decent strike from Dimitar Berbatov the difference on the day. You have to take your chances and, if involved, I’ll do my best to make an impact.”
Bent will come up against his old teammate Stephen Ireland this weekend, another member of Villa’s “bomb squad” who were cast out from Paul Lambert’s squad and have left in search of regular football.
He believes he is slowly finding his form to help fire Fulham up the table.
“I didn’t really have a pre-season, so I’m still finding my feet a little,” he said.
“But I’m getting stronger by the day and feeling a lot sharper. I’ve got a couple of goals so far, and I’d certainly like to add to that tally over the coming weeks and months.”
