Aston Villa have shaken off their poor start to the season and three wins in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League will give them confidence they can compete at European football's top table after winning last season's Europa League.
However, the Villans' credentials are set to be severely tested by highly fancied FC Barcelona, who are looking to bounce back from a 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, which was followed by a 2-1 home defeat to arch-rivals Real Madrid in La Liga.
Barcelona v Aston Villa Tips Summary
Best Bet - Barcelona to win & both teams to score @ 1/1
Alternative Bet - Raphinha to score two or more goals @ 13/5
Bet Builder - Over 3 goals, Nicolas Jackson to score at any time & Lamine Yamal to register an assist @ 29/4
Barcelona v Aston Villa Prediction
Best Bet: Barcelona to win & both teams to score @ 1/1
Victories over Club Brugge KV, Fenerbahçe SK and Viking FK mean that Aston Villa have had a perfect start to this season’s UEFA Champions League, but their task is about to get a lot tougher as they head to Barcelona on Tuesday.
Villa look to have got over their early troubles after a difficult summer, but they face a team who are not just rampant going forward but looking to get back in their groove.
Barca secured a 6-1 win over Alaves in La Liga on Saturday, but more telling were the defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid that preceded it.
They should emerge with all guns blazing, but Villa know where the goal is so can at least register as their hosts have kept just one clean sheet in their last 10 games.
Alternative Bet: Raphinha to score two or more goals @ 13/5
Raphinha was on target twice in Barcelona’s 6-1 win over Alaves on Saturday and that was the sixth time this season he has netted more than once in a game for Barcelona.
That figure includes hat-tricks against Racing Santander and Sevilla and a brace in Barca’s 5-1 win in their opening game of this competition against Feyenoord.
He has 16 goals to his name this season and is an attractive price to register more than one successful strike.
Barcelona v Aston Villa Bet Builder Tip
- Over 3 goals
- Nicolas Jackson to score at any time
- Lamine Yamal to assist
Pays 29/4
Over three goals has been a winning bet in all but two of Barcelona’s last eight home matches and it seems sensible to have faith in one of Europe’s most dynamic attacks, who have scored at least three times in 11 of their 14 outings this term.
Faith should also be put in Villa as only holders Paris Saint-Germain have scored more goals in their opening three matches of the league phase, so we could be in for a goals bonanza.
Villa have got their act together in the last six weeks and Senegalese striker Nicolas Jackson has played an integral role in that.
He has scored seven goals in his last seven matches and has proved to be the man for the big occasion, netting twice in the 6-0 UEFA Champions League victory over Fenerbahçe and both in the 2-1 win that ended Manchester City’s 100 per cent record in the Premier League.
Jackson was again on target in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Fulham and can make his mark at Camp Nou.
Lamine Yamal was disappointed not to have won the Ballon d’Or last week and with a hunger to prove a point, he looks primed to add to his 11 assists for Barcelona this season, four of which have come in the UEFA Champions League.
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Key Match Stats
- Aston Villa have lost just one of their last nine matches
- Over 2.5 goals has been a winning bet in eight of Aston Villa’s last 10 outings
- Unai Emery’s side have won all three of their league-phase matches in this season’s UEFA Champions League
- Barcelona have scored at least three goals in 11 of their 14 matches this season
- The Spanish outfit have kept just one clean sheet in their last 10 games
- Six of Barcelona’s last eight fixtures have featured at least four goals
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
