Manchester City left-back Gael Clichy has warned his teammates that Aston Villa will be desperate for points when they meet at Villa Park on Monday.

City are currently chasing down Manchester United at the top of the table as they try to retain their Premier League title, while Villa are battling to stay in England's top flight at the bottom.

Despite thrashing Villa 5-0 in the reverse fixture, Clichy says that City should not take their opponents lightly.

"Of course we are going to have to be careful because Aston Villa are desperate for points and if we don't work hard, we know what could happen," Clichy told the club's official website.

"Villa are not a bad side and I think that they eventually will become a very good side, but we have to go there, be very professional and repeat our performance against Chelsea – if we do that, we'll have a great chance of taking the three points.

"We need to start well and hit the ground running on Monday evening."

The match kicks off at 8pm.