Aston Villa captain Richard Dunne thinks that his teammates need a boost of confidence in order to overturn their recent run of form.

The Midlands side have suffered defeats against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as a stalemate goalless draw against Swansea City in recent weeks.

"It is time that we had a bit more belief in ourselves," the Daily Star quotes Dunne as saying. "We are waiting to work our way into games and having a bit too much respect for our opponents. We have got the top teams in a row before Christmas and it is a hard programme, with a lot of games.

"Against Manchester United we did not get close to them and we paid the price. The manager wants us to have more belief in ourselves. He wants us to have more confidence and we have got to start doing that from the start of games."

Alex McLeish's side travel to Bolton Wanderers for a Premier League encounter on Saturday.