Barcelona's defense is being pushed to its limits, however I believe their attacking power will be sufficient at home. The absence of Kounde, Christensen, Eric Garcia and Xavi Espart, means that Hansi Flick may need to deploy Frenkie De Jong as a center back which could leave him vulnerable to the likes of Nicolas Jackson, who has netted 7 goals in his last 7 outings.

However even if Barca are without several key players, I do not believe they can't score enough against Villa, who have yet to face opposition of this caliber. In fact they have shown incredible firepower by scoring 5 past Feyenoord and 4 away at Galatasaray. On Saturday, they took advantage of an already weakened Alaves side, beating them 6-1. Raphina and Lamine Yamal each found two nets apiece for Barca. At halftime, it appeared to be a rout (4-0), with no sign of Alaves coming back. This is only their second loss in the group stage. They had previously been unbeaten after their previous loss to Paris Saint Germain. A win here would be a great start to getting back on track.

Villa come into this match undefeated with 9pts from 9. However they've never played anyone of the same caliber as Barcelona. All three of their victories were achieved over Brugge, Fenerbahce and Viking. They earned a draw against Fulham on Saturday. Villa have also managed only one victory in their last 8 away trips to Spain.

Therefore I expect Barcelona to assert themselves early and take control of this match at home.