Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert believes his young players aren't getting a fair shake from referees.

The Scot takes his side to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday for a clash against Stoke City that is sure to be a hotly-contested affair given the respective positions of the two clubs.

"I think some of our bookings are caused by us being young," he said, "I think we're an easy target.

"It can work against you if you are young. For sure, referees will see that we deserve some bookings.

"But I think some of our bookings haven't been justified. Some have, but there are some in there you think you should never be booked for.

"We try to be fair. We never send anyone out to hurt anybody. We don't have players who can do that."