Aston Villa

BBC Radio WM reporter Mike Taylor is in Barcelona and speaking to Aston Villa supporters ahead of tonight's Champions League match at the Spotify Camp Nou.

How do they think Unai Emery's side will get on? Take a look below and remember, you can listen to full commentary of Barcelona v Aston Villa on BBC Radio WM [95.6FM].

And don't forget to tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights.

Listen to full commentary of Barcelona v Aston Villa on BBC Radio WM [95.6FM]

And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

John McGinn admits Aston Villa's rise to the Champions League has allowed him to fulfil his boyhood dreams.

Before Tuesday's game in Barcelona, the Scotland international has revealed his ambition for Villa to continue to face the world's best clubs.

Villa captain McGinn has only been to the Nou Camp once on holiday but is now ready to face World Cup winner Lamine Yamal on the pitch.

"I used to go on holiday in Fuerteventura and Salou and I was here on a stadium tour the day Ricardo Quaresma signed for Barcelona," said the midfielder. "I've never been since but I'm excited to represent Aston Villa on the big stage.

"I'm 32 years old and the trajectory of this club is allowing me to dream in the same way I did since I was nine, 10, 11.

"What the club is trying to do now is make this journey and make it a yearly experience to compete with the best in England and Europe.

"It's a pleasure to be on this journey with the supporters. I am sure they will enjoy today and tomorrow, but we will only enjoy the experience if we win three points."

Villa are defending their 100% Champions League record after three wins from their opening three games, results that mean they are second in the league phase.

They also travel to Galatasaray this month and host defending champions Paris St-Germain on 8 December.

Hit play below to hear more from McGinn or listen on BBC Sounds here

Image source, Getty Images

Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki will be more available to Aston Villa this season after the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia was postponed because of a series of deadly attacks on the host country.

The 24-team tournament was scheduled to take place from 7 January to 5 February but has been rescheduled to run from 23 December 2027 to 21 January 2028.

Japan would have been one of the favourites for the tournament and Villa, who are in the Champions League, might have had to do without Suzuki - assuming he would have been selected - for at least seven games if his country had reached the final.

In October, a missile attack by Yemen's Houthi movement on Riyadh's airport killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.

A statement from the the Asian Football Confederation said the decision to reschedule had been taken "in light of the current exceptional circumstances arising from developments in the region, including substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions".

This is the second successive Asian Cup to be postponed after the 2023 tournament was moved to 2024 and to Qatar from China because of the Covid pandemic.

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Skipper John McGinn believes Aston Villa are proving the critics wrong following their summer rebuild.

Villa face Barcelona at the Nou Camp with a 100% record in the Champions League this season after three wins.

They are second in the league-phase table, behind defending champions Paris St-Germain on goals scored.

Villa, ninth in the Premier League, have won seven of their past 11 games after failing to win their opening four.

It comes after a summer of change following six key departures and a raft of new players, with McGinn praising the new-look squad.

"It's going slight better than what some people envisaged," he said. "I have to give credit to the new players - a lot of change and a lot of information, and they have adapted well.

"They realise the structure we've built gives players the best possible chance to show their capacity.

"The new players are taking a lot on board and we're starting to gel. It's exciting and we have a demanding manager who will not let us stop and be comfortable."

La Liga leaders Barca have scored 56 goals in 14 games this season, with former Leeds United forward Raphinha netting 15 and Lamine Yamal 10.

McGinn added: "We haven't been talking about anyone in particular. They have world-class players in the starting XI and on the bench.

"We respect the players who can hurt us, but we have our own players to cause damage to Barcelona."

Image source, Getty Images

• This will be the first meeting between Barcelona and Aston Villa since the European Super Cup final (played over two legs) in January 1983, which was won 3-1 on aggregate by the Villans (lost 1-0 away, won 3-0 at home).

• Unai Emery has faced Barcelona on 30 occasions in his managerial career, winning just three of those (D6 L21). Of teams he has faced five or more times, his win percentage against Barcelona is his lowest against any opponent (10%).

• Barcelona are on the longest current run without a clean sheet of any team in this season's Champions League (18 games). However, their average of 2.97 goals per game in the competition under Hansi Flick is their highest under any manager (86 goals in 29 matches).

Image source, Getty Images

Unai Emery says he wants Aston Villa to focus on their own experiences rather than draw upon his own previous struggles against Barcelona.

Emery has faced the Catalan giants 30 times as a manager, winning just three of those and losing on 21 occasions, but his time at Villa Park is more valuable to him.

"Usually in my experiences [against Barcelona] they were giving me information to learn and get better for the next matches," Emery said in his news conference on the eve of Villa's match at Spotify Camp Nou.

"With our players, we are speaking about our experiences together. We have experiences in Europe, the Champions League two years ago and this year. We have played three matches and we won three matches and done fantastic work.

"Tomorrow, we are facing one of the favourite teams so it is a huge challenge. Maybe in this Champions League [season] this is the most difficult match we are going to play.

"We have confidence in how we are building the team, how we are competing and how we are getting our experiences. How we are progressing and setting demands, this is the challenge we have. Tomorrow, the experience we are going to use collectively is our own experience and we try to get another experience here. It's a really exciting match."

Listen to full match commentary of Barcelona v Aston Villa on BBC Radio 5 Live

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

Image source, Getty Images

There is now a long list of occasions since Unai Emery took charge of Aston Villa four years ago which might have had fans tapping the side of their head. Are we sure we're actually awake, folks? Are we all in the same dream?

This week will probably go to the top of that list - above the Jhon Duran blast against Bayern Munich, above April in Paris, even above the Istanbul trophy lift.

For Villans, apart from fans who remember 1982 for themselves and not as a passed-down memory - and therefore the Super Cup matches the following January - the Nou Camp has been a stadium tour on holiday or the focus of a stag weekend. Somewhere other people go, and otherworldly players play. It could never be you. But now it is.

He would never put it this way, or maybe even think of it this way, but one of Emery's most appealing characteristics is that no supporter is quite as enthusiastic a football tourist as the manager himself.

He has been to all these places before, of course. But he still often carries an air of wonderment when he turns up for his obligatory Uefa news conference the night before the game. (This was most evident in Amsterdam, when he wandered into an auditorium decorated by pictures of Johan Cruyff, head turning like an owl, and explained he had somehow never taken a team here before. "And... it's Ajax!" Suddenly, he was just like us.)

His primary task this week, however, may be to persuade his players not to feel like that. Perhaps this gets a little easier with each passing year as Villa replenish their squad with players familiar with even this exalted level.

A penny, though, for the thoughts of Alysson, of George Hemmings, of the other teenage members of the Villa playing staff on the trip.

Mind you, even though they have experienced the big time for a while, for older hands who served in the Championship mines with Villa and others - John McGinn, Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings - a Champions League night at the Nou Camp is the biggest time.

Barcelona, spraying goals everywhere this season, are as elite as opposition gets. Breathe deeply. Don't look up.

Actually, for now anyway, look at the table instead: Barcelona six points, Villa nine. Never mind who they have played so far, keep your caveats to yourself.

Until Tuesday night, at least, let others do the looking up.

Listen to full commentary of Barcelona v Aston Villa at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday on BBC Radio WM (95.6FM)

And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

Explore Aston Villa content on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It always seemed a more symbolic threat than one which would ever be followed through.

Jamie Carragher, while letting himself down with language, merely expressed an opinion and not a particularly extraordinary one.

While it shows naivety towards Unai Emery's situation and the control he has at Aston Villa, it was hardly something to make headlines over.

It was one Villa should have let wash over them but, not for the first time this season - or indeed in previous years - the club chose a combative position towards the media. Although, if owner Nassef Sawiris wants to do something there is very little some can do to change his mind.

• Villa drop legal action threat against Carragher

Villa and Sawiris were defending their honour, as is their right, and they saw it as a slight on their ambition and how they could be perceived as lesser than Manchester United.

The idea of the traditional big six is one which irritates Villa, especially having won the Europa League and reached the Champions League for two of the past three seasons.

They have competed against those traditional sides - Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham - and have outperformed some of them at times.

The threat towards Carragher was a sign of their determination to be seen as equals, even if it was misguided.

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Barcelona winger Anthony Gordon has vowed to be more selfish ahead of facing Aston Villa.

The England forward is preparing for the Champions League clash on Tuesday following his summer move from Newcastle in a deal worth more than £69m.

Gordon has helped Barca to the top of La Liga and has scored three goals in 13 appearances in all competitions, including one in Saturday's 6-1 win over Alaves.

But the 25-year-old wants to do more to help Hansi Flick's side complete a clean sweep of trophies this season.

"The challenge of joining Barca is different to what I've had before because I was fighting relegation for two or three years (at Everton), which was tough," he said.

"At Newcastle we were fighting for the Champions League and to push up the table and now fighting for Barca for every trophy.

"To be competing on every front for every trophy is definitely the most enjoyable. I think people think it's more pressure but it's actually less pressure than fighting relegation and fighting to push up the table for the Champions League.

"I want to win every trophy. I want to be the best. This club allows me to do so.

"I think I can do it more, I can maybe be a little bit more selfish sometimes. I think sometimes I maybe pass too much. I should definitely score more goals, but like I said, the reality is goals win games and I'm here to win trophies."

Gordon has previously played Villa with Everton and Newcastle in the Premier League, scoring in the Magpies' 3-0 win on Boxing Day in 2024.

"They're one of the most physical teams in the league. They've got some great players," he said.

"Certain things can motivate me more than others but I try to remain the same. I try to remain consistent with my motivation. So the fact they're English doesn't make it more motivating.

"They have some great players, I know they all have had a great run as of late, so it's going to be a difficult game.

"They're the type of team that regardless of the game, they're always in the game, they wait for a moment. They seem to always be ready for any type of game, so we know it will be a tough challenge but we're excited for what's to come."

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Aston Villa and Fulham.

Here are some of your comments:

Villa fans

Liam: A very frustrating evening. First half, I thought we played well, created chances but didn't take them. Fulham played well, kept hold of the ball and deserved their goal - albeit a mistake from Zion Suzuki, who I thought up until then had kept us in the game. Disappointed to only get a point.

Roderick: Were the players' minds on Barca? It certainly looked like an absent-minded display, which is so unlike Unai Emery's team. Fulham controlled the second half and will probably be feeling unfortunate not to have taken all three points. Please, Villa, don't repeat this display on Tuesday.

John: Villa were lucky to get a point. Yes, Suzuki made a bad error for the Fulham goal, but if it wasn't for him Fulham could easily have had three or four with the chances they had. He's been brilliant for us since he joined so let's not get on his back for one error.

Alex: It's two points lost, definitely. The penalty miss cost us and also the obvious error by Suzuki. However, he also saved us with excellent stops several times. What was frustrating was the drop-off in intensity and inability to handle Fulham when they turned up in the second half. We ground our way back into it but too late, unfortunately. Should be three points, with the game having been dead and buried by half-time.

Fulham fans

Brian: A good point but when are we going to use Rodrigo Muniz from the start? Gonzalo Garcia doesn't have what's needed in the Premier League and the lack of goals is damaging us.

John: Getting there, but the big gap is the goalscoring ability, which needs to be resolved soon.

Charles: The talk is all about how Villa gifted us a point through Suzuki's mistake, but the stats tell a different story - one of a match where Villa were probably lucky to have come away with a point. Fulham need to keep their heads high and confidence up. I think the results will keep coming.

Jan: Best performance of the season. Just need a striker to put away the chances. Maybe Santa will provide an early present!

Aston Villa face competition from Arsenal, AC Milan and Roma to sign 20-year-old Brazil forward Endrick from Real Madrid. (Calcio Mercato - in Italian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

This match was the eighth and final one on a busy Saturday of Premier League action. It featured thrills and spills and nearly had a dramatic finish.

Aston Villa defender Pau Torres twice had chances to snatch a late winner but failed to hit the target with close-range headers on both occasions.

After four games of this Premier League campaign, both of these teams were in the bottom three with one draw and three losses, and this draw maintains their recent resurgences.

Villa have now won three and drawn two of their five league matches since, while Fulham have picked up seven of a possible nine points in their past three games.

Nicolas Jackson has had a fine October, with his goal following one in the 2-2 draw against Brentford, two in the 6-0 Champions League win over Fenerbahce and a double in the 2-1 win over Manchester City.

This encounter took place on Saturday evening rather than Sunday afternoon because Villa play in the Champions League at La Liga leaders Barcelona on Tuesday.

Some sides would be distracted by such a prospect, but Unai Emery's Villa started brightly, with Leon Goretzka heading one chance over.

His next header resulted in the penalty after Sander Berge raised his arm.

The penalty was the first awarded to Villa in the Premier League since April 2025 against Manchester City, having not received one last season. Surprisingly, Jackson did not take it, and instead it was John McGinn who took responsibility, only to hit the woodwork.

Zion Suzuki, who joined Villa in a £30m deal from Parma in August, had performed well until his error made it 1-1.

He did make a crucial save later on to deny Antonee Robinson as the game ended in a draw.

Sunday marks four years to the day since Emery began work as Villa head coach.

The team sat three points above the relegation zone on 1 November, 2022.

Since then, Villa have finished seventh, fourth, sixth and fourth and made the Conference League semi-finals in 2023-24, the Champions League quarter-finals in 2024-25, before winning their first European trophy since 1982 with success in the Europa League last season.

Villa's attentions will quickly move on to their glamour tie at the Nou Camp, with Emery looking to secure their fourth Champions League victory in a row.

Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery, spoke to BBC Match of the Day after his side's draw against Fulham: "Disappointing result, but fair. The first half, we tried to dominate the match, to break their high build-up with the press. We did it more times than less. Sometimes, they could break our press and they created one or two chances but saved [by] Zion Suzuki.

"We were creating chances, we were creating goals. We had a penalty shot. We scored a goal. In the first half, we more or less were [there]. Tough match, but we were more or less feeling comfortable. We wanted to carry on the second half in the same way, but we couldn't. I don't know why, but we couldn't. They were demanding it more, they were pushing more. They were creating chances more. We were defending. They scored the goal. They threw enough at it.

"It changed a bit. We started the game pushing, not being organised like we were but pushing. We created two or three chances to score the goal. I think the result is a fair result. Disappointing for us. Not enough, but we keep going forward."

On Suzuki's mistake for the goal: "Yes, but it's part of football. Keeping going forward. Keep improving. Today was about a very good test, but we need to continue working and improving things. Work to do. Try to adapt our players to get better, get confidence.

"Plus, we are improving our results. In our last five matches in the Premier League, three won, two draws. I think it is good, but our poor start is giving us a lack of points in the table. Today improving. A draw is a disappointing result, but a fair result but we must keep going. Next challenge is Tuesday against Barcelona. Next challenge is against Manchester United, so it's not time to stop. It's not time to be focussing on what was before. Our focus is the next match, next days.

"Each competition is giving us a lot of moments tot y to build the team. We are building and we are working to improve."

• Hear more from Emery on BBC Sounds here

Aston Villa defender Ian Maatsen, spoke to Sky Sports: "We started the game well. Fulham is a good side, not easy to win [against] but we came in front. We done well but in the second half we gave them more time on the ball. They have good players and they can make chances.

"We were unlucky with the goal but we tried to keep fighting. It's important not to lose these games.

On Suzuki's mistake for the goal: "It's frustrating because don't want to concede goals but it can happen to everyone.

"Zion is a great guy, great goalkeeper. He will learn from it. We will support him and go again."

Did you know?

• No Premier League player has scored more goals in all competitions this month than Nicolas Jackson (six), while Jackson is the first Villa player to score in three successive home Premier League games since Morgan Rogers in April 2024.

• Since Johan Manzambi's first start for Aston Villa in September, only Erling Haaland and Nicolas Jackson (both 7) have been involved in more goals among Premier League players in all competitions than him (six - three goals, three assists).

• Including shootouts, John McGinn took his second penalty for Aston Villa on Saturday. The Scot failed to score either – his first was saved against Brentford in the EFL Cup in September last season.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Aston Villa's performance

What did you make of Fulham's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

There are eight games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Chelsea v Manchester United (12:30)

• Bournemouth v Leeds United

• Brentford v Nottingham Forest

• Coventry City v Sunderland - first half on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, second half on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Hull City v Ipswich Town

• Manchester City v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Tottenham v Crystal Palace (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Aston Villa v Fulham (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated.

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