Double threat: Aston Villa's lethal weapons put Barcelona on high alert
Terrifying duo
Aston Villa do not arrive at the Camp Nou as guests seeking a respectable showing. They come as one of the strongest attacking units in Europe this season.
Unai Emery's side have never won at Barcelona's fortress. Tonight they bring a frightening statistic and two lethal weapons who top the Champions League scoring charts, and the Blaugrana defence face a genuine test.
Heavy guests indeed. Villa boast the second strongest attack in the Champions League this season with 12 goals, level with Liverpool and bettered only by leaders Paris Saint-Germain on 13. Barcelona sit fourth with 11.
Emery relies on a fiery duo to lead the Villans' European dream: Ross Barkley (32 years old) and Nicolas Jackson (25 years old). Each has scored three goals so far, placing them firmly in the race for the competition's Golden Boot.
The English side's campaign confirms that attacking strength. A thrilling 3-2 win over Club Brugge opened their account, then they swept aside Fenerbahce with six unanswered goals before beating Viking Stavanger 3-1 last time out. Barcelona, by contrast, started strongly with a 5-1 win over Feyenoord and a 4-1 over Galatasaray, only to fall 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain.
Possession tells a different story. Barcelona dominate the ball at 61.7%, according to the Spanish outlet "Mundo Deportivo", with passing accuracy of 92%, the highest in the competition. Villa manage just 49.3% possession and 88% passing accuracy, ranking seventeenth. But the real danger lies in their ruthlessness in front of goal.
Jackson is not content with scoring alone. He ranks second for shots on target with 8, level with Harry Kane and just one behind leader Kylian Mbappe on 9.
Barkley and skipper John McGinn (32 years old) carry another historic ambition. Each has four goals in his Aston Villa European career, leaving them just four short of matching legend Gary Shaw, the club's all-time top scorer in the Champions League with eight goals between 1981 and 1983.
For Barcelona, the goals are spread between Lamine Yamal, Karim Adeyemi and Raphinha, two apiece. Raphinha needs just five more to become the club's second best scorer in the competition. He currently sits third with 20, behind Luis Suarez and Rivaldo on 25 each and Robert Lewandowski on 23.
Second place in the overall standings is Villa's starting point, on 9 points and desperate to stay among the top eight. Barcelona, meanwhile, fight for the three points to avoid complicated qualification calculations after their defeat to Paris.
