Champions League Matchday 4: Barcelona vs Aston Villa facts

Beaten in their last UEFA Champions League fixture, Barcelona will look for an immediate response at home to Aston Villa, who have won their first three league phase games.

Previous meetings

This is the sides' fifth fixture. Barcelona won 4-3 on aggregate in the 1977/78 UEFA Cup quarter-final (2-2 a, 2-1 h) before Villa lifted the 1982 UEFA Super Cup 3-1 on aggregate (0-1 a, 3-0 h).

A 7-2 win against Newcastle United in last season's round of 16 second leg (8-3 aggregate) was only Barcelona's second in their last seven matches versus Premier League opposition (D2 L3). Those three defeats are as many as they had suffered in their previous 25 contests with English clubs (W16 D6).

However, Barça have lost only two of their 38 home matches against English visitors (W23 D13), both against Liverpool – 0-1 in the 1975/76 UEFA Cup semi-final first leg (1-2 aggregate) and 1-2 in the 2006/07 Champions League round of 16 (2-2 agg, lost on away goals).

Barcelona are unbeaten in 15 home matches against English opposition (W10 D5), since that 1-2 defeat by Liverpool in 2007.

This is Villa's first European Cup match against Spanish opposition.

Villa have won only one of their eight away matches in Spain (D3 L4), 1-0 at Celta in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup second round first leg – a tie they lost 2-3 on aggregate.

The English club have lost their last three matches against Spanish sides; this is their first fixture since going down 0-1 away and 1-2 at home to Celta in the 2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup semi-finals.

Club history

Barcelona

This is Barcelona's 31st campaign in the Champions League proper, a competition record they share with Real Madrid. They have featured every season since 2003/04.

Fifth in last season's league phase (W5 D1 L2), Hansi Flick's side went on to beat Newcastle United (8-3 aggregate) in the round of 16 before a 2-3 loss in an all-Spanish quarter-final against Atlético de Madrid.

Aston Villa

This is Villa's second Champions League campaign; they reached the quarter-finals on debut in 2024/25, losing 4-5 on aggregate against eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.

Unai Emery's team lifted the Europa League in 2025/26, finishing second in the league phase (W7 L1) before beating LOSC Lille (3-0 aggregate), Bologna (7-1) and fellow English side Nottingham Forest (4-1) to reach the final, where they defeated Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul.

Villa were beaten 2-1 by Paris in the UEFA Super Cup on 12 August.

Links and trivia

Villa’s Leon Goretzka won his first four Champions League games against Barcelona, including the famous 8-2 quarter-final success in 2020, as a Bayern player, though the run ended in the 2024/25 league phase (1-4 a).

Villa’s Pau Torres suffered seven defeats in eight games (W1) against Barcelona with Villarreal (2016–23).

Barcelona’s Anthony Gordon was unbeaten in his four Premier League matches against Villa (W2 D2) for Everton and Newcastle, scoring in his first two appearances.

Barcelona have won ten of their last 12 home group stage/league phase games (D1 L1), most recently 5-1 against Feyenoord on Matchday 1.

Beaten 4-2 at holders Paris Saint-Germain last time out, Barcelona have not kept a clean sheet in their last 18 Champions League matches, extending the longest run in their history.

Barcelona's last 18 league phase matches have produced 91 goals, an average of 5.06 per game.

Hansi Flick's team have conceded the first goal in nine of their last 12 Champions League games.

Flick's Champions League record against English clubs is W5 D1 L1.

Lamine Yamal's Matchday 3 goal was his 13th as a teenager in the Champions League proper, equalling Kylian Mbappé's competition record.

Raphinha (21) is level with Neymar in fifth place on Barcelona's Champions League scoring list, one goal behind Rivaldo and two off Robert Lewandowski.

Gabriel Jesus scored for Manchester City on this day in both 2020 (3-0 h vs Olympiacos) and 2021 (4-1 h vs Club Brugge). João Cancelo also scored in the 2020 game and set up three goals in 2021.

The 3-1 home success against Viking on Matchday 3 was Villa's fourth successive Champions League win, a club record.

Villa have won 14 of their last 16 European fixtures (L2), including 3-2 at Club Brugge on Matchday 1.

Emery's charges have won their last six league phase matches in UEFA competition – three in the Europa League and three in the Champions League.

Villa have scored three or more goals in seven of their last nine European games.

The Villans' last ten Champions League matches have produced 43 goals, an average of 4.30 per game.

Emery has won only one of his six Champions League matches against Spanish clubs (L5), Paris' 4-0 home victory against Barcelona in the 2016/17 round of 16 first leg. His side lost the return 1-6.

Emery celebrates his 55th birthday on 3 November, the day of the match.