Barcelona unlikely to risk Andreas Christensen against Aston Villa

Barcelona are highly unlikely to make Andreas Christensen available for Tuesday’s Champions League meeting with Aston Villa, according to Sport.

Aston Villa travel to face Barcelona in the fourth round of the Champions League league phase, but Christensen is not expected to feature after returning to full team training only one day before the match.

Barcelona are unwilling to take a risk with the Denmark defender so soon after his return, the report says.

Christensen sustained an injury in September and has now returned to Barcelona’s squad after an absence that was initially expected to last two months. His recovery had left open the possibility of an earlier comeback, depending on his progress.

If that progress continues without further problems, Christensen is considered to have a strong chance of returning to the squad for Sunday’s match against Atletico Madrid, according to Sport.

The defender spent five months sidelined with injury last season.

Barcelona currently lead La Liga with 30 points from 11 matches. They have taken six points from their opening three games in the Champions League league phase.

Aston Villa have won all three of their matches in the competition so far, matching the perfect records of Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Real Betis.