Barcelona must beat Aston Villa at Camp Nou on 3 November to stay in the top eight

Barcelona need a response

Barcelona host Aston Villa on Tuesday, 3 November, with kick-off at 21:00 in matchday 4 of the Champions League league phase. Hansi Flick's side have six points from three matches, with wins over Feyenoord and Galatasaray either side of a 4-2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain. ABC reports that Barcelona sit eighth with a goal difference of +5, clinging to the last place in the automatic qualification zone for the round of 16.

The same week as the PSG defeat, Barcelona lost the El Clasico at home to Real Madrid in LaLiga. At the weekend they bounced back with a 6-1 win over Alaves, in which Lamine Yamal and Raphinha each scored twice. Asked about the recent results at his press conference on Monday, 2 November, Flick said the situation had not changed.

“Nothing has changed after these two defeats. Nothing.”

Flick added that his side aim to win LaLiga and the Champions League, and that finishing among the top eight is the target in Europe.

Injuries and the back line

Barcelona enter the match with a depleted defence. Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Xavi Espart and Andreas Christensen are out, with Christensen listed as doubtful, and Dani Olmo is also unavailable in attack. Flick said four defenders are out, six absences in total, and admitted that managing the situation is not easy. He said the squad remains convinced and praised the unity of the dressing room.

Brian Farinas, a youth-team product, is set to start again at right-back, the position he filled in the win over Alaves. Flick pointed to him and to Frenkie de Jong as examples of players who have adapted to new roles. Barcelona have conceded a first goal in nine of their last twelve European matches, and they have gone 18 Champions League games without a clean sheet.

Aston Villa and Emery

Aston Villa have won all three of their league-phase matches, including a 3-1 win over Viking, and have scored three or more goals in seven of their last nine European games. They sit ninth in the Premier League, twelve points behind Arsenal. Emery, speaking on Monday, placed Barcelona among the favourites and said the Catalan side are capable of beating any team when they perform at their best.

“If they play at their best, they are capable of beating any team in the world.”

Flick returned the praise, calling Emery one of the best coaches in Europe. Villa's Nicolas Jackson, bought from Chelsea this summer for more than 50 million, has five Premier League goals, third in the division behind Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak, and three more in the Champions League.

Aston Villa9

Barcelona6

Aston Villa

9 points

Barcelona

6 points

Data from the article text

Head-to-head and home form

Emery and Barcelona have met 30 times, with Emery's record showing three wins, six draws and 21 defeats, which La Razon describes as the worst of his career against any side. Barcelona have been hard to beat at home against English clubs. They have gone 15 consecutive matches unbeaten against them since 2007, with 10 wins and five draws, and they have lost only two of 38 home matches against Premier League sides in European competition.

Attacking threats and what comes next

Yamal has 13 goals in the Champions League this season, one short of the under-20 record held by Kylian Mbappe, now at Real Madrid. Raphinha has 21 European goals for the club, level with Neymar. Emery also described the challenge ahead in direct terms.

“We are facing one of the favourites. It is a great challenge for us, it is the most difficult match we will face.”

The match kicks off at 21:00 on Tuesday, 3 November at Spotify Camp Nou. Barcelona must win to keep their place in the automatic qualification zone, while Aston Villa look to extend their unbeaten start.