Aston Villa defender Ron Vlaar has urged his teammates "to stay strong" following Saturday's 4-1 defeat to Southampton.

Next up for the Villans is a trip to Premier League champions Manchester City for a Capital One Cup tie on Tuesday evening.

Looking ahead to that fixture, Dutch international Vlaar believes that the squad must now show some mental toughness.

"We can play well as a team, we know this, but we didn't do it in the second half against Southampton and that's disappointing for everybody – the players, the manager and the coaching staff and, of course, our fans," Vlaar told the Express & Star.

"We've got to stay strong now and we have another game tomorrow which we need to prepare for."

Saturday's loss has seen Villa drop to 14th in the Premier League table.