The Aston Villa side will be squaring off against Manchester City in Premier League play on Monday.

Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert told ESPN that he's focused on attempting to pull out an upset against City in the matchup rather than worrying about the games that follow versus Reading and the Queens Park Rangers.

Lambert is fully aware of the relevance of the Premier League double-header, which will proceed the showdown with Robert Mancini's team, as Villa currently sits in the bottom three.

However, Lambert is optimistic following Villa's performances on the field in recent weeks, including a close 2-1 defeat at Arsenal, to believe that the club can stay in the game against City.

"I felt there were signs of encouragement against Arsenal but then I've felt that for a few weeks without getting the results. That's the frustrating thing, when you play well and don't get results especially the games at Everton, West Brom and Swansea," he said.

"When you have a two-goal lead at Everton and West Brom and you don't see it through, or concede a late equalizer as was the case at Swansea, it's frustrating. If you had taken maximum points from those games, then you'd be sitting mid-table and, against Arsenal, we should have had at least a point,'' Lambert added.

Villa skipper Ron Vlaar is currently battling a calf injury that forced him out of last weekend's match at Arsenal. He was unable to train during the early part of the week, but his condition will be evaluated prior to the start of the game.

For those who have a subscription to Sky Sports or would like to sign up, simply log onto www.skysports.com/xtra to watch Manchester City face off against Aston Villa. Coverage of the Premier League matchup is set to begin at 8 p.m. GMT on Monday, March 4.