Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert is confident that his team will be "a lot better" than the previous campaign, despite the club's recent struggle.

The Midlands outfit have lost their last five games in the Premier League, but Lambert believes that his side's tough fixtures and injury list is part of the problem.

"In our first nine games we've played the top five and it's been really tough," Lambert told Sky Sports News. "But we will be a lot better than we were last year, that's for sure."

Villa, who are currently 15th in the league table, will face Tottenham Hotspur at home on Sunday.