John McGinn will captain Aston Villa at Camp Nou on Tuesday night, 23 years after he first walked into the stadium as an eight-year-old on a family holiday — while Unai Emery returns to the ground that gave him the most painful night of his managerial career.
Villa arrive in Barcelona in a position nobody predicted when the league phase began. They have won all three of their Champions League games — against Viking, Fenerbahce and Club Brugge — and sit three points above the Spanish champions, one of only five perfect teams left in the competition. Barcelona, by contrast, have lost their last European game to Paris Saint-Germain and were beaten by Real Madrid in El Clasico, even if Saturday's 6-1 rout of Alaves steadied them.
From the stadium tour to the tunnel
McGinn's only previous visit to Camp Nou came on holiday. "I was here for the stadium tour the day Ricardo Quaresma signed for Barcelona in July 2003, I was eight years old," he told reporters on Monday, in quotes carried by theScore. "I've never been since, but tomorrow night I'll be excited to represent Aston Villa on the biggest stage."
Now 32, the Scotland midfielder says nights like this are why Villa's rise matters. "The trajectory of this club is allowing me to dream the same way I have dreamed since I was nine, ten, eleven, to play in front of the biggest crowds, in the biggest arenas," he said. "But what the club are trying to do now is make this normal, make this a yearly experience. As a professional, we only enjoy the experience if we have three points."
This is the first competitive meeting between Villa and Barcelona since the 1983 UEFA Super Cup — and Villa do not arrive as tourists. They have scored goals freely in Europe, recovered from losing three of their first four league games, and come into this game after the draw with Fulham kept their recovery moving.
The manager who learned from the Remontada
For Emery, Camp Nou means something else entirely. In March 2017 his Paris Saint-Germain side led Barcelona 4-0 from the first leg and still lost 6-1 on the night, the famous Remontada. He did not hide from it on Monday. "In that match I learned so, so much," Emery said. "One, the sports side, and another not a sports side. The necessity for VAR in that moment."
Emery, who has faced Barcelona 30 times as a manager, praised Hansi Flick's back-to-back title winners but made Villa's target plain. "They are three points behind us, the target is clear — to be in the top eight," he told TNT Sports. "It's a huge challenge. We are ready, motivated and excited."
McGinn explained where that confidence comes from. Asked how demanding Emery is, he replied: "Quite, aye. He won't let us stop and get comfortable, he wants more, and that's why we're sitting in this stadium right now, because of how demanding he is. It's infectious. You either get on board with it or you don't." Flick, for his part, called Emery one of the best coaches in Europe.
So what does it mean?
Barcelona's makeshift defence is Villa's opening: Kounde, Eric Garcia, Christensen and Xavi Espart remain out, leaving Pau Cubarsi as the only fully fit centre-back, as BTFW's look at Barcelona's defensive crisis set out. Villa's pace and set-pieces are built to test exactly that weakness. A fourth straight win would put Villa in command of a top-eight place and leave Barcelona chasing; a home win, and the doubts from the PSG and Madrid defeats follow Flick into the winter.
Beyond the Final Whistle: McGinn's story is lovely, but do not mistake it for the story. Villa are not going to Camp Nou for a photograph — they arrive three points above Barcelona, with a manager who knows better than anyone how quickly Barcelona can turn a night, and how to stop it happening to him twice. If Emery's Villa score first, the Remontada ghosts will be Barcelona's problem, not his. Can Villa make it four wins from four at Camp Nou? Let us know in the comments.
