A favourite victim: Barcelona star shines against Aston Villa

Rodri, the Barcelona midfield star, has scored 41 goals in more than 500 professional matches for Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City and Barcelona, as well as for the Spanish national team.

The newspaper Mundo Deportivo point out that this is no mean return for a defensive midfielder tasked with dictating play.

That makes his scoring record against Aston Villa all the more striking. The English side are his favourite opponent.

Aston Villa visit Barcelona tomorrow, Tuesday, in the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League league phase.

No team brings out the goalscorer in Rodri quite like Villa. Against them, he turns into a genuine marksman.

His numbers go well beyond the goals. Rodri has won 8 of 9 meetings with Villa, drawing the other and never losing.

Three of his five goals have come from headers, including the one that helped crown Manchester City English League Cup winners in March 2020, when they beat Aston Villa 2-1.

Every other goal arrived in the Premier League, and Rodri chipped in with two decisive assists along the way.

Anthony Gordon, by contrast, has enjoyed nothing like the same luck against Villa, even though they are the second team he has faced most often in his career. He has met them 12 times, just behind Manchester City on 13, whether in an Everton or Newcastle shirt.

The 25-year-old winger has managed just one goal against Villa. It came in the Premier League, in a game Newcastle won 3-0 during the 2024-2025 season.

Gordon has also provided one decisive assist against Villa. His record reads four wins, six defeats and two draws.