Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has insisted that there is no negativity within his squad, despite the club's predicament in the Premier League.

The Midlands outfit, who face Manchester City this evening, have fallen into the bottom three in the league table on 24 points.

"[Team morale] is something we have always tried to do whether we have won, lost or drawn," Lambert told Yahoo! Sports. "We always try and keep things upbeat and don't dwell too much on a loss but instead try and keep a level playing field, this way everyone can keep enjoying their football.

"There is nothing worse than coming into a workplace which is negative and down, that's when you can start to lose the players. The important thing is not to feel sorry for yourself, you have to stay positive."

Villa have grabbed a victory just once in their last six fixtures.