Gareth Barry has hinted he won't have to leave Aston Villa to play in the Champions League.

The Liverpool target said: "A place in the top four is certainly more realistic now than it was last season when we were probably just talking about doing it.

"Eventually, I believe we'll find ourselves in a run for one of those places. And we'll fancy ourselves. But we know it's a massive step because that top four has been set for a long while now. They have such a big advantage with the players they have collected.

"We were sluggish against Blackburn. We got away with it a bit more. We are playing a lot of games this season, which is why you may see a few nights like that. But we won. And everyone says that's the sign of a good team.

"Some pundits are saying that if anyone can break into the top four, it will be us. But they are still not putting their money on us. So it would be nice to prove everyone wrong and make it."