MADRID — Aston Villa captain John McGinn will lead his team out at Camp Nou to face Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, having only ever visited the stadium once before on holiday.
The Scotland international said he was excited to take on the Spanish champions, with Villa facing Barca for the first time in over 40 years.
“(I’ve been here) once — I checked yesterday because I used to go on holidays at Port Aventura (theme park) in Salou,” McGinn told reporters.
“I was here for the stadium tour the day Ricardo Quaresma signed for Barcelona (in July 2003), I was eight years old…
“I’ve never been since but I’ll be excited to represent Aston Villa on the biggest stage.”
The midfielder said Villa reaching Europe’s top competition allowed him to keep fulfilling his childhood dreams.
“I am 32 years old, but the trajectory of this club is allowing me to dream the same way I have dreamed since I was 9, 10, 11, to play in front of the biggest crowds, in the biggest arenas, and obviously this is a very historic stadium,” continued McGinn according to AFP.
“But what the club are trying to do now is make this normal, make this a yearly experience, and make Aston Villa compete with the best in England and the best in Europe.
“It is a pleasure to be on this journey with the supporters. I am sure they will enjoy, but as a professional, we only enjoy the experience if we have three points.”
So far Villa have three victories from three league phase games, defeating Viking, Fenerbahce and Club Brugge.
Unai Emery, whose Paris Saint-Germain side were beaten 6-1 by Barcelona at Camp Nou in 2017 in a historic Champions League comeback known as the ‘remontada’, said Hansi Flick’s side were one of the favourites to win the trophy.
“In that match I learned so, so much. One, the sports side, and another not a sports side. The necessity for VAR in that moment,” said Emery.
Barca lost their previous European outing against PSG, and also lost against Real Madrid in La Liga.
“Barcelona are going to demand a lot from us, we have to be capable of adapting to that,” continued Emery.
“It will be a different game to the PSG and Madrid games, and we have to play our own one.”
