Spanish coach Unai Emery of Aston Villa returns to Camp Nou, the stadium of the famous historic comeback known as "La Remontada," for a highly anticipated fourth-round league phase match in the UEFA Champions League against Barcelona.
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Aston Villa enter the game with a perfect record in the 2026–2027 edition, having won their first three matches. Barcelona, meanwhile, seek to restore their European balance after losing to defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in the third round, which ended their unbeaten start.
The match is important for both teams. Barcelona want to use home advantage and their fans to keep competing for the top places, while Aston Villa hope to confirm their exceptional start and strengthen their position among the tournament's leading sides.
Paris Saint-Germain against Barcelona at the Parc des Princes was expected to produce an attacking spectacle, given both teams' considerable attacking strength and their defensive problems.
Indeed, the match produced six goals, as the defenses of both teams failed to contain the mutual attacking threat over 90 minutes.
But four of those goals went to Paris Saint-Germain, who handed Barcelona a harsh 4–2 defeat and ended the Catalan side's run of 11 consecutive wins in all competitions since the start of the season.
Barcelona's troubles did not stop there. They suffered a second consecutive defeat when José Mourinho led Real Madrid to a surprise win in the Clásico at Camp Nou, in the Spanish league.
Hansi Flick's team, however, returned to winning ways last Saturday, routing Deportivo Alavés 6–1 to end the two-match losing run.
The win allowed Barcelona to remain top of La Liga, two points ahead of their nearest challengers, Atlético Madrid.
Barcelona have produced exceptional attacking performances since the start of the season. They have failed to score more than two goals in a match only once, in their 2–1 defeat to Real Madrid last month. However, this attacking efficiency is matched by clear problems at the back.
Barcelona conceded a goal against Alavés, extending their run of matches without a clean sheet to five in a row.
The team has also conceded in nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions, a worrying statistic ahead of a clash with an Aston Villa side that possesses great attacking quality.
Nevertheless, Barcelona have a strong European record at home against English clubs. The Catalan side have not lost any of their last 15 European matches hosting English opponents, and their last defeat to an English club at home came against Liverpool almost two decades ago.
This record gives Barcelona a morale boost before the match, despite the defensive challenges they face.
On the other side, Aston Villa are enjoying their best European start, collecting maximum points from their first three rounds.
The English side sit second in the league-phase table, behind defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, the only team that has finished ahead of them so far.
Aston Villa beat Club Brugge of Belgium, Fenerbahçe of Turkey and Viking of Norway. The most recent of those wins came against Viking on October 21, when Emery led his side to a 3–1 victory in the West Midlands.
That came after the Norwegian side's dramatic draw against Bayern Munich, but Aston Villa managed to assert their superiority and take all three points.
The English club are one of only five teams to collect nine maximum points from their first three matches. Aston Villa have also scored 12 goals in the competition so far, sharing the second-best attacking record with Paris Saint-Germain, who have scored 14.
The team also has a goal difference of +9, the best in the competition, level with the Parisian club, who have won the trophy twice.
These figures reflect the great progress Aston Villa have made under Emery, who has further established his reputation as one of the best coaches in the world today.
Aston Villa continued their strong form after their European win over Viking, beating Manchester City 2–1 just three days later.
That victory reinforced Emery's great reputation, especially his ability to prepare his team for major fixtures and to deal with high-quality opponents. However, Aston Villa's results dipped in the two matches that followed.
The team lost 3–0 to Bournemouth in the English League Cup, before drawing 1–1 at home with Fulham in the Premier League. Aston Villa therefore travel to Barcelona after two consecutive matches without a win, a situation that presents an important test of their ability to recover their form against one of Europe's strongest attacking lines.
Barcelona and Aston Villa have met in four previous matches, and the English side have won only one of them.
Their last official meeting came in the 1983 European Super Cup final, when Aston Villa won the trophy with a 3–1 aggregate victory over two legs.
Since then, the two clubs have not met in any official match, which gives today's game a special historic character.
The match also carries personal significance for Emery, who returns to a stadium associated with one of the most thrilling nights in Champions League history.
The Spanish coach was in charge of Paris Saint-Germain when the French club suffered a historic 6–1 defeat to Barcelona in the second leg of the round of 16 in the 2016–2017 edition, after winning the first leg 4–0.
That match became known as "La Remontada," as Barcelona achieved the greatest comeback in the tournament's history.
Barcelona face several significant absences before the match, most notably Spanish attacking midfielder Dani Olmo.
Olmo had to leave the pitch during the first half of the Paris Saint-Germain game with an injury.
Tests revealed a tear in his adductor muscle, and his absence is expected to extend beyond the next international break.
Barcelona will also be without Xavi Espart, who has an ankle injury, Andreas Christensen, who has a thigh injury, and Roony Bardghji, who has an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The list of absentees also includes Eric García, who has a thigh injury, and Jules Koundé, who has an ankle problem.
On the other hand, Barcelona suffered no new injuries during their big win over Alavés, giving Flick some stability before the European fixture.
All eyes are on the young Spanish star Lamine Yamal, who continues to produce exceptional performances in the Barcelona shirt.
Yamal was one of the standout players in the win over Alavés, scoring two goals and providing an assist, confirming his importance to his team's attacking setup.
He has the chance to set a new record in the Champions League during the match against Aston Villa.
If he scores today, he will become the sole holder of the record for the most goals scored in the competition by a teenager.
Yamal currently shares the record with Kylian Mbappé, with 13 goals each.
Scoring a new goal would give the Spanish star another historic achievement, amid the continued development of his career.
On the other side, Aston Villa's injury list looks less complicated than Barcelona's.
Emery is expected to be without only three players: Amadou Onana, who has a knee injury, Matty Cash... wait. Let me correct this: the source lists Matteo Ruggeri, who has a thigh injury, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has a muscle problem in the thigh as well.
Doubts were raised about the readiness of Senegalese striker Nicolas Jackson, after he was absent from the photos of the team's training last week.
However, the player was fit to start against Fulham, scoring his team's goal and raising his tally to 8 goals in his first 12 matches in the Aston Villa shirt.
Jackson is the English side's most dangerous attacking threat, thanks to his ability to exploit space and move behind defenders.
The Fulham match also saw German player Leon Goretzka start in the Premier League for the first time.
Goretzka was part of the Bayern Munich squad that won a historic 8–2 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League in 2020.
However, Emery may prefer to rely on João Gomes in midfield against Barcelona, if he decides to handle the German player's physical condition with caution.
Expected line-ups
Barcelona: Joan García, João Cancelo, Gerard Martín, Pau Cubarsí, Alejandro Balde, Pedri, Rodri, Lamine Yamal, Fermín López, Anthony Gordon, Raphinha.
Aston Villa: Suzuki, Matty Cash, Victor Lindelöf, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen, Boubacar Kamara, João Gomes, John McGinn, Marcus Rashford? Wait, I will correct to the list as stated in the source: Manzambi, Emiliano Buendía, Nicolas Jackson.
