Will he break the curse? A double challenge awaits Barcelona's star against Aston Villa

Barcelona host Aston Villa tomorrow, Tuesday, at the Spotify Camp Nou in the fourth round of the Champions League league phase.

Six goals conceded in three European games this season tell the story. Barcelona have yet to keep a clean sheet in the competition.

According to Sport, goalkeeper Joan Garcia goes into the match facing a double challenge: shaking off the disappointment of the goal he conceded in the dying moments against Alaves, and finally ending the run of goals rattling his net in the Champions League.

Garcia has impressed between the posts. He's quick off his line too, alert to sweep up balls played in behind the defence.

Across 11 La Liga matches, Barcelona have kept just four clean sheets, three of them in the opening four rounds.

Only once since 9 September have Hansi Flick's side protected Garcia's goal, and that came against Getafe at the Spotify Camp Nou.

Asked about it in an interview with Sport 3, Garcia admitted he'd finished the comfortable win over Alaves feeling a little deflated.

He said: "All goalkeepers will tell you the same thing: they want to keep their clean sheets."

He added: "But in the end we know that the most important thing is to win. And it is better for that to come without conceding goals, but the most important thing is to take the three points."

The numbers make grim reading. Barcelona have conceded at least one goal in 18 consecutive Champions League matches. Their last clean sheet in the competition came in early April 2025, in the first leg of the quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund. They failed to shut out a single opponent in any European game last season either.