Micah Richards: Villa will improve at Chelsea

Skipper Micah Richards insists there is no lack of desire in the Villa dressing room as they bid to haul themselves out of the relegation zone.

The centre-back, a summer arrival from Manchester City, is set to lead Tim Sherwood's side in their clash against Premier League champions Chelsea on Saturday.

Jose Mourinho's side haven't tasted victory in their last three outings while Villa are without a win in seven.

But Richards is adamant things will soon improve.

"As the skipper, it's my job to make sure the boys are staying positive during this difficult spell," he said.

"But this hasn't been a problem, I can't fault the attitude of the boys.

"Their desire to do the best they can is there in abundance too – and we will soon start picking up. I'm really confident that results will come sooner rather than later."

Richards added: "Overall, I don't think you can say we've played badly in the majority of our games so far this season.

"Yes we've been sloppy at times and made mistakes but on the whole we've been creating and scoring goals."