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Will he break the deadlock? A double challenge awaits the Barcelona star against Aston Villa

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

Three rounds into the European campaign, Barcelona are still chasing their first clean sheet. They have shipped six goals so far.

According to Sport, goalkeeper Joan Garcia faces a double challenge going into the match. He must shake off the disappointment of the late goal he conceded against Alavés and finally stem the flow of goals leaking past him in the Champions League.

Garcia has been impressing between the posts. He reads danger quickly too, rushing off his line to mop up balls played in behind the defence.

Only four times in 11 La Liga matches have Barcelona kept a clean sheet, and three of those came in the first four rounds.

Since 9 September, Hansi Flick's side have protected Garcia's goal just once: against Getafe at the Spotify Camp Nou.

Asked about it in an interview with Sport 3, Garcia admitted he finished the comfortable win over Alavés feeling frustrated.

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

He added: "But in the end we know that the most important thing is to win. And it is better for that to be 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 also failed to keep a single European opponent out across the whole of last season.

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