Emery Returns to Barcelona With Aston Villa in Champions League

Aston Villa visit Barcelona on November 3 in a Champions League league-phase match, bringing Unai Emery back to Camp Nou for the first time in the competition since the stadium’s famous 2017 comeback against Paris Saint-Germain. Villa and Barcelona have not previously met in the Champions League.

Emery’s PSG had won the first leg of their 2017 round-of-16 tie 4-0, but Barcelona advanced after a 6-1 victory in the return match. Across 30 games against Barcelona, Emery’s teams have won three times, making the Catalan club his most frequent opponent and a particularly difficult one.

Villa arrive on a run of three consecutive Champions League wins, with 12 goals scored in those matches. Nicolas Jackson has contributed three of the goals, and has scored seven times across his last seven appearances. Villa are also among five teams with a perfect record in this season’s competition.

Barcelona come into the fixture after a 6-1 league win over Deportivo Alavés. Before that, the team had suffered consecutive defeats, including a loss to Paris Saint-Germain, following earlier Champions League victories over Feyenoord and Galatasaray.

The match is scheduled for Camp Nou in Barcelona. Villa’s visit is part of a busy Champions League week that also includes Bayern Munich at Atlético Madrid, where Harry Kane could match Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of scoring in 11 consecutive games in the competition.