Boss Remi Garde remains hopeful Aston Villa can produce the great escape this season and avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Villa are currently rooted to the bottom of the table after winning just three of their 26 league matches this season, leaving their top-flight status hanging by a thread.

The Villans are currently eight points adrift of safety with 12 matches of the season to play, but Garde, who succeeded Tim Sherwood as manager at Villa Park in November, remains defiant that the team can avoid relegation to the Championship.

He said: “My job is to still believe and make the players believe that if we have a good spell of games, like we had previously, maybe we can still be in the Premier League next season. I am still fighting and I have to accept the comment coming from this kind of person.”

The Frenchman insists he will fight until it is mathematically impossible for them to survive, but he accepts that it will not be easy for the club to avoid the drop.

He added: “Of course it is difficult, I have not come here to hear criticism and lose games. But it would be very weak in my position to say I am not responsible or I want to run away. I am not this kind of person.”

Villa are next in action when they travel to the Britannia Stadium to take on Stoke on Saturday and they will be looking to repeat the 1-0 victory they achieved in the fixture last season.

Stoke are the 1.67 favourites to win the match, whilst Villa are on offer at 5.50 and the draw is 3.60.