Aston Villa face a huge test on Tuesday night as they travel to Barcelona to face one of the main Champions League contenders. Hansi Flick's side reached the semi-finals back in 2025 and will be hoping to go one better this time around.
Barcelona were involved in an excellent back-and-forth encounter in their last European fixture, but Los Cules eventually lost 4-2 to reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain. Goals from Lamine Yamal and Xavi Espart were not enough to deal with a rampant PSG side that is prioritising its strongest players for this competition. Barcelona were then thwarted by Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid side in the El Clasico.
Still, Barcelona are in excellent condition heading into this fixture with a resounding 6-1 win over Deportivo Alaves at the weekend, with goals from Lamine Yamal (x2), Raphinha (x2), Fer Lopez and Anthony Gordon. Barcelona have scored an incredible 46 league goals this season, while scoring 11 goals in three Champions League matches this campaign.
Aston Villa's Premier League form has certainly shown improvement over recent weeks, as the Villains are now mere points away from the European spots, having previously gone winless until mid-September. Unai Emery's side though, have now gone without a win in their last two matches in all competitions following a home draw against Fulham in the Premier League and a humbling 3-0 defeat to AFC Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup.
The step-up in opposition will be interesting for Aston Villa in this competition. Up until now, the Villains have beaten the likes of Viking FK, Fenerbahce and Club Brugge, but Barcelona pose a different challenge entirely.
Raphinha has been in excellent form this season with 15 goals in nine starts in La Liga and with two goals in his last two Champions League matches, the Brazilian winger is certain to make an impact in this fixture.
Over 2.5 goals have been scored in the last 10 matches involving Barcelona and in eight of the previous 10 games involving Aston Villa, so that trend is expected to continue here.
Barcelona 3-1 Aston Villa
