UEFA announce match officials for key clash between Barcelona and Aston Villa
· Yahoo Sports
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Barcelona have another massive week ahead of them, both in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, and they cannot afford to get it wrong this time around.
The Catalans faced an unexpected slump last week as they crashed to back-to-back defeats against PSG and Real Madrid.
They returned to winning ways last night, putting six goals past Deportivo Alaves. However, it is clear that there is a need to step up in the big games, and they will have a chance to do that in the coming week when they face Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid.
Scene set for the UCL
Massa oversaw Barcelona’s clash against Eintracht Frankfurt. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)
The first of the two clashes for Barcelona will be against Aston Villa who they will take on midweek in a clash at the Spotify Camp Nou, and it is safe to say that winning is non-negotiable.
Ahead of the game, the referees for the night have been officially announced via SPORT, and it will be two relatively new faces overseeing the proceedings against Aston Villa.
The chief on-field referee appointed for the night is the Italian referee Davide Massa, who is known popularly as a Serie A match official. He has overseen one Barcelona game before, which was a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Meanwhile, the VAR official on the night will be the famed Bastian Dankert from Germany – the same man who was behind the screens for the last UEFA Champions League final and the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.
A must-win game
Barcelona have to win against Aston Villa. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Barcelona started off the UEFA Champions League with two wins in two games, and the victory over Galatasaray away from home made it clear that they are a force to reckon with.
Against PSG, they leveled the score twice and should well have brought home a draw, but two late goals and defensive lapses saw the defending champions win with a 4-2 margin.
Having already taken a defeat, Barcelona cannot afford to go on the tilt and lose a second straight game, especially given how valuable it is to directly move to the knockout stages.
In the ongoing hectic schedule, they simply cannot afford to play an extra round of fixtures, and they must take every win they can get. After all, they are yet to face Manchester City in the league phase.