Aston Villa face one of their toughest Champions League tests of the season when they travel to Barcelona on Tuesday evening.
Unai Emery’s side have made an impressive start to the league phase, collecting nine points from their opening three matches. However, Villa arrive in Spain looking to rediscover their form after going two games without a victory.
A 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Bournemouth was followed by a 1-1 Premier League draw against Fulham. Emery will now need his players to raise their performance levels against a Barcelona side with plenty of attacking quality.
Villa are currently in second place with wins against Club Brugge and Fenerbahce and Viking. Barcelona are currently in eighth place with only six points from three games.
Despite losing 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain and 2-1 to Real Madrid, they responded well with a 6-1 win against Alaves. This gives them confidence going into the game against Villa.
Aston Villa team news ahead of Barcelona clash
Villa will have some injury worries to contend with as Onana, Ruggeri and Wan-Bissaka remain sidelined.
Onana continues to recover from a knee injury while Ruggeri and Wan-Bissaka are out with thigh injuries. However, there were no new injury worries reported after the Fulham draw.
Jackson should keep his spot in the starting line-up after scoring against Fulham. The loanee from Chelsea has started well in his move to Villa, scoring eight goals in 12 games.
Emery will have two changes to the team which started at the weekend. Gomes should come into the midfield three in place of Leon Goretzka.
The German made his first Premier League start against Fulham, but Gomes could replace him for this European fixture.
Emiliano Buendía could also replace Alysson, while McGinn and Manzambi are likely to keep their places in the starting XI.
Emery is expected to retain Cash and Maatsen at full-back, with Lindelöf and Torres forming the central defensive partnership.
Aston Villa predicted starting XI
They are expected to play with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Jackson as their attacking force.
Suzuki, Cash, Lindelöf, Torres, Maatsen, Kamara, Gomes, McGinn, Manzambi, Buendía, Jackson.
It will also provide Emery with a nice mix of experience and flair. McGinn and Manzambi could play a key role with their influence and energy. Villa are likely to look to play in behind Barcelona.
Lamine Yamal will be looking to net his final goal in the competition to become the most prolific scorer in the history of the competition. He is level with Kylian Mbappe on 13.
When does Barcelona vs Aston Villa kick off?
Barcelona host Aston Villa tonight (Tuesday, November 3, 2026).
The match kicks off at 8pm GMT and will be shown live on TNT Sports 1 in the UK. The Camp Nou clash is a Champions League game.
There is little history between the two sides in recent years. The last time they faced each other was in the 1983 UEFA Super Cup, which Villa won 3-1 on aggregate.
But Emery will be hoping for another special result for his side, and Villa will have to be disciplined to get anything out of the dangerous Barcelona attack.
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