Unai Emery returns to the Camp Nou as Aston Villa’s manager for a Champions League match against Barcelona, his first visit to the stadium in the competition since Paris Saint-Germain’s dramatic 2017 defeat there. PSG had won the first leg of their quarter-final 4-0, but Barcelona overturned the deficit with a 6-1 victory in the return match.
Asked about that experience before Villa’s match, Emery said he had learned a great deal from it. He noted that he has coached for 22 consecutive years and spent 16 seasons in European competition, describing the Barcelona match as one of the occasions that helped him develop.
Emery has since managed several clubs and won domestic and European trophies. His record against Barcelona across 30 matches with teams including Almería, Valencia, Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, PSG and Villarreal has been difficult: 21 defeats and three wins. He said those encounters had given him experience to apply to future challenges.
Villa have won their first three matches in this season’s European campaign. Emery called Barcelona one of the competition’s favourites and described the fixture as a major test. Depending on results elsewhere, Villa could also move to the top of the league table at this stage.
Villa captain John McGinn said the team had the players to trouble Barcelona. He also reflected on the club’s progress from the Championship to the Champions League. The report describes Villa as likely to press aggressively and seek to use their physical strengths.
Barcelona are expected to be without Dani Olmo, Andreas Christensen, Eric García and Xavi Espart, potentially leaving defensive gaps. Aston Villa forward Nicholas Jackson is expected to be fit to start after playing the full match at the weekend.
Sources: The Guardian Sport.