Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov has lit the blue touchpaper ahead of the Anfield showdown by hinting Liverpool could be top if they had signed Gareth Barry.

The third-placed Reds claimed a stunning 4-1 victory over Manchester United last weekend, but will still kick-off against Villa eight points adrift of Alex Ferguson’s leaders should they beat Fulham.

Villa star Barry had looked all-but certain to move to Merseyside for much of the summer only for the move to collapse and Petrov believes Barry’s arrival would have left Rafael Benitez’s team even better equipped for a title tilt.

The Bulgaria midfielder said: “He was their target in the summer and he has stayed here. If they had him in their team they could be doing even better this year.

“But we have him in our team and we are really glad. He’s a great player and that’s why they tried all summer to do a deal.

“They call him one of the best midfielders in the country and if he was there he would definitely improve them.”

Petrov is confident his midfield partner will stay put if they can deliver his dream of Champions League football.

He said: “The club has tried to make his decision even tougher. If the club qualify for the Champions League I don’t think we should worry about it.”