Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery discussed Barcelona's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has heaped praise on Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal, predicting the teenager could become the best player in world football, while simultaneously anointing the Catalan club as favourites for the UEFA Champions League.

The Spanish tactician delivered his assessment during Monday's pre-match press conference ahead of Villa's continental clash against Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Tuesday, November 3.

Despite acknowledging Yamal's meteoric rise to global superstardom, Emery was quick to emphasise that the 19-year-old winger still has developments to make.

Yamal enters the Champions League fixture riding a wave of individual momentum, having recently finished third in the 2026 Men's Ballon d'Or, voting with 881 points, behind Kylian Mbappé and eventual winner Harry Kane.

That podium finish followed a sensational 2025/26 campaign where Yamal was instrumental in securing the La Liga title for Barcelona and the 2026 FIFA World Cup for Spain.

However, Emery maintained a grounded perspective on the forward's trajectory when addressing the media.

"He’s a special player, and you can see in him that he could end up being the best in the world," Emery noted. 

"He needs to improve in some areas, but he could end up being a great player," the Villa boss added, highlighting the immense ceiling still left for the young Spanish international to reach.

Beyond individual talents, Emery was emphatic in his evaluation of Hansi Flick's collective squad, categorising them in the upper echelon of European football.

Barcelona recently rebounded from consecutive defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid with a ruthless 6-1 dismantling of Deportivo Alavés, showcasing their devastating offensive firepower.

Emery insisted that history and current form make them the team to beat in this year's Champions League tournament.

"They’re the favourites to win this competition, given their current form and what they’ve accomplished over the past decade," Emery stated.

"We can count them on one hand - five teams - and one of them is Barca. If Barca play at their best, they can beat anyone," he explained.

For Aston Villa, Tuesday's encounter represents a massive litmus test on the grandest European stage.

Emery, who  recently guided the Villans to Europa League success, is familiar with the immense challenge of facing elite Spanish opposition.

He concluded his press conference by setting expectations for his own squad's mentality heading into the intimidating Camp Nou atmosphere.

"They’re going to push us very hard, and we’ll have to play with a lot of character," Emery warned his players.