Barcelona and Aston Villa lock horns for the first time in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, with the pair facing off on Matchday 4 of the league phase.

While the Villans are poised for a novel experience in Catalonia, their manager, Unai Emery, is all too familiar with the perils that Camp Nou so often brings to visiting managers. The 54-year-old is taking on Barça with his sixth different club, aiming to improve a wretched record.

His Villa team have at least overcome a torrid start to the 2026–27 campaign, losing just one of their previous nine outings—a 3–0 defeat at Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup fourth round. They’re one of five perfect teams in this competition, having beaten Club Brugge, Fenerbahçe and Viking.

Barcelona thus represent a significant step-up in quality for Emery’s side, even if Hansi Flick’s La Liga champions suffered back-to-back defeats before thrashing Deportivo Alavés 6–1. Barça were eventually overwhelmed by Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, then outwitted by José Mourinho’s Real Madrid in El Clásico.

Before losing to the back-to-back champions, Flick’s side thrashed Feyenoord and Galatasaray to get their continental campaign off to the perfect start.

Barcelona vs. Aston Villa Score Prediction

Emery’s Hoodoo Persists

Barcelona sorely needed Saturday after a challenging week. Flick went stronger than expected in terms of team selection, and their emphatic victory means they head into two critical fixtures with a sense of their unwavering momentum restored.

Aston Villa pose a unique challenge to the hosts, with the verticality of Emery’s side likely to render this a frenetic and incredibly watchable encounter.

The Villans have the tools to exploit Barcelona’s aggressive defensive line, with expert channel-runner Nicolas Jackson in excellent form, but Emery will have to delve into the Mourinho playbook to stymie their high-powered hosts.

• Emery’s record vs. Barça: The Aston Villa boss has faced Barcelona more than any other club in his managerial career (30 matches), yet he’s only overseen three victories.
• Barça’s record vs. English opposition: The hosts are unbeaten in their last 15 home matches against Premier League teams in UEFA competitions. Liverpool were the last English side to win at Camp Nou back in 2007.
• Lamine Yamal factor: Raphinha is Barcelona’s leading goalscorer in all competitions this season and was back on the scoresheet at the weekend. However, it‘s Lamine Yamal who’s chasing history on Tuesday. The Spaniard has 13 Champions League goals to his name and is one away from beating Kylian Mbappé’s haul as a teenager. He has six goal contributions through three continental outings this term.

Prediction: Barcelona 3–1 Aston Villa

Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Aston Villa

Flick opted against wholesale rotation at the weekend, but was forced into a defensive reshuffle due to an array of injuries.

Those issues haven’t been fixed heading into Tuesday’s clash, with the hosts still without Andreas Christensen, Eric García and Jules Koundé. There’s hope the latter two will be fit enough to play some part against Atlético Madrid this weekend.

Emerging youngster Xavi Espart is also on the sidelines after sustaining an ankle injury in El Clásico.

As a result, there‘s a chance Frenkie de Jong continues at the heart of Barcelona’s defense, with Gerard Martín potentially preferred to Alejandro Balde at left back.

Further up the pitch, Dani Olmo is nursing a muscle injury, but Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Fermín López are all ready to wreak havoc on Tuesday evening.

Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): J. García; Cancelo, Cubarsí, De Jong, Martín; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, López, Gordon; Raphinha.

Aston Villa Predicted Lineup vs. Barcelona

João Gomes and Emiliano Buendia are likely to come into the starting lineup in Catalonia, having appeared off the bench in Saturday’s 1–1 draw with Fulham.

Leon Goretzka, part of the Bayern Munich team that embarrassed Barcelona in 2020, made his first Premier League start at the weekend, but is set to drop out of the team here. Still, his experience could prove critical for the Villans as their Champions League campaign progresses.

On the injury front, Emery is set to be without Matteo Ruggeri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, while Amadou Onana is out for the long haul with a knee injury.

Nicolas Jackson heads into this fixture having scored seven times on his previous seven appearances.

Aston Villa Predicted Lineup vs. Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Suzuki; Cash, Lindelöf, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Gomes; McGinn, Manzambi, Buendia; Jackson.

What Time Does Barcelona vs. Aston Villa Kick Off?

• Location: Barcelona, Spain
• Stadium: Camp Nou
• Date: Tuesday, Nov. 3
• Kickoff Time: 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. GMT
• Referee: Davide Massa (ITA)

How to Watch Barcelona vs. Aston Villa on TV, Live Stream