Barcelona humiliated him 6-1 with PSG, and now Emery returns to the Camp Nou with Aston Villa
The Aston Villa coach will face Barcelona again after rebuilding his career through a sacking, a Champions League semifinal and two European titles.
Unai Emery will turn 55 at a venue he knows all too well. On Tuesday, November 3, he will lead Aston Villa against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, his Champions League return to the stadium where he suffered the historic 6-1 with PSG.
The night of the 6-1
On March 8, 2017, his team arrived with the 4-0 lead earned in Paris. They were knocked out after conceding three goals from the 88th minute, with Sergi Roberto scoring the sixth in stoppage time. The aggregate finished 6-5 to Barça: a tie PSG practically had in their hands ended in one of the biggest collapses in the competition.
From collapse to rebuild
Emery's career took more blows. He stayed one more season in Paris and in 2018 took over at Arsenal. He reached the 2019 Europa League final but lost 4-1 to Chelsea. In November of that year he was sacked, with the team on a seven-game winless run.
Villarreal changed his course. In 2021 he led them to the Europa League title after beating Manchester United on penalties. A year later he reached the Champions League semifinals, knocking out Juventus and Bayern Munich.
That spell also gave him a win at the scene of the disaster: on May 22, 2022, his Villarreal beat Barcelona 2-0 at the Camp Nou. Emery had already gone back and won there in LaLiga; this reunion will be in the Champions League.
The Aston Villa project
In late 2022 he took charge of Aston Villa. He led them to fourth place in the Premier League in 2023/24 and into the 2024/25 Champions League, where they reached the quarterfinals. The project grew until it lifted another trophy: in May 2026 Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final.
It was the fifth Europa League of his career: three with Sevilla before that night in 2017, one with Villarreal and another with Villa. Two of those titles came after the 6-1.
Unai Emery's five Europa League titles.
| Year | Team | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Sevilla | Europa League |
| 2015 | Sevilla | Europa League |
| 2016 | Sevilla | Europa League |
| 2021 | Villarreal | Europa League |
| 2026 | Aston Villa | Europa League |
The memory of the rout will travel with him. The team Emery takes to the Camp Nou arrives as Europa League champions and with three wins from three matchdays in this Champions League. His career is about much more than that scoreline.
Have you seen this round's previews?See previews →More stories
Messi and Cristiano in, Dembélé out: the 26 nominees for the 2026 World 11The FIFPRO World 11 revealed its men's finalists, with Harry Kane, Mbappé and Lamine Yamal among the candidates. The winners will be announced on November 9.
Harry Kane won the Ballon d'Or and now threatens a record that belongs only to Cristiano RonaldoThe Bayern striker has scored in ten straight Champions League appearances. Against Atlético he can match a mark the Portuguese has held since 2018.
Did América cheat with 10 foreign players? The registration that sparked the controversyMohamed questioned the Águilas after the draw with Toluca. Ícaro's case and the squad moves explain how they reached ten players used with a limit of nine spots.