Barcelona vs Aston Villa: Barcelona, General View outside Camp, scarf seller stall
Barcelona vs Aston Villa: Barcelona, General View outside Camp, scarf seller stall
Last Word on Football brings you the latest team news and the confirmed lineups for Barcelona vs Aston Villa in a 20:00 Champions League kick-off. The Premier League side have enjoyed a dream start to the competition, winning their first three games, including a 3-1 win over Viking last time out. Barcelona have won two of their first three games, losing 4-2 to the current holders, Paris Saint-Germain.
Barcelona vs Aston Villa, Team News and Confirmed Lineups
Barcelona Team News
Hansi Flick will undoubtedly be eager for his team to get back to winning ways in the Champions League, and he has confirmed that Andreas Christensen is close to a return: “trained as a neutral player yesterday, and we’ll see how things look ahead of the weekend.”
The Barca boss also had words of encouragement for Alejandro Balde:
“It’s normal to lose confidence when you’re not playing regularly, but I see him doing very well in every training session. He’s a good option. He’s very young, he came through La Masia and this is his club. I’m trying to help him regain his confidence. He’s a great lad and a fantastic player.”
Flick also addressed the lack of minutes for Gavi: “I don’t see him as a full-back. We all know his quality and Gavi is always an option, but once the game starts that option can disappear and you can’t always stick to your initial plan. I’ve spoken with him and the important thing is that he has confidence,” said the Barca boss.
Aston Villa FC v Manchester City - Premier League 2026 27 Nicolas Jackson of Aston Villa celebrates scoring their second goal during the Premier League 2026 27 match between Aston Villa FC and Manchester City at Villa Park on October 24, 2026 in Birmingham, England. Aston Villa FC v Manchester City - Premier League 2026 27 Nicolas Jackson of Aston Villa celebrates scoring their second goal during the Premier League 2026 27 match between Aston Villa FC and Manchester City at Villa Park on October 24, 2026 in Birmingham, England.
IMAGO / APL
Aston Villa Team News
Appearing at the pre-match press conference, Unai Emery spoke on his plans for facing Barcelona:
“So, we need to find our own personality and play with our own style, with our own qualities and skills. Try to make the most of our individual talent, you need to try to make the most of our qualities.
“In turn, Barcelona will be demanding of us. We need to adapt and we need to face tomorrow’s game in that way. But it will be different to the ones against PSG and Real Madrid. We need to play our own game.”
It’s likely we will see Joao Gomes and Emi Buendia back in the starting lineup, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Matteo Ruggeri remain sidelined.
Amadou Onana remains the long-term absentee after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament at the 2026 World Cup playing for Belgium.
Barcelona Confirmed Lineup
Starting XI: García, Cancelo, Fariñas, Cubarsí, Fermín, Pedri, Yamal, Raphinha, Rodrigo, Gordon, Gerard Martín.
Subs: Balde, Gavi, Jesus, Szczęsny, Adeyemi, De Jong, Bernal, Livaković, Abdelkarim, Goren, Guillem V., À. Campos.
Aston Villa Confirmed Lineup
Starting XI: Suzuki, Cash, Lindelöf, McGinn (C), Kamara, Buendía, Jackson, Pau, Maatsen, Gomes, Manzambi.
Subs: Bizot, Wright, Harwood-Bellis, Mings, Barkley, Garnacho, Abraham, Mbaye, Goretzka, Alysson, Hemmings.
The Last Word: Prediction for Barcelona vs Aston Villa
Barcelona vs Aston Villa is a great fixture for gameweek four of the Champions League. The La Liga giants will be full of confidence after their 6-1 thumping of Alaves at the weekend. Previously, they lost against Real Madrid in the league and were beaten 4-2 by Paris Saint-Germain. They will be eager to return to winning ways in the competition.
Villa have enjoyed a great start, winning their three games so far. However, this is a massive step up for Unai Emery’s men. Nicholas Jackson has been in great form, and Villa will be relying on their number one forward. They have no fresh injury worries, with Gomes and Buendia likely to start. However, it’s difficult to see them upsetting Barcelona.
Prediction: Barcelona 3-1 Aston Villa
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IMAGO / Pro Sports Images