Emery seeks a gift at a ground that holds his worst memories

Spanish manager Unai Emery of Aston Villa returns to Spotify Camp Nou to face FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League after a four-year absence. This visit is particularly special as it coincides with his 55th birthday on Tuesday, with hopes that he will receive a gift from his players in one of the stadiums that holds painful memories for him during his coaching career.

Unai Emery has played 15 matches at the Camp Nou while managing six different clubs: UD Almería, Valencia, Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, Paris Saint-Germain, and Villarreal. He has only achieved one victory against 14 defeats, with the teams he managed scoring 12 goals and conceding 46.

Unai Emery's only victory at Camp Nou came when he led Villarreal to a 2-0 win over FC Barcelona in the final round of LaLiga in the 2021-2022 season, ending a run of 13 consecutive matches without a win at the Catalan ground. However, he suffered another defeat in his next visit, losing 3-0 during the 2022-2023 season.

The Spanish coach's struggles at Camp Nou began during the 2007-2008 season, when he lost to UD Almería 2-0. He then suffered five consecutive defeats with Valencia, and also fell to Spartak Moscow 3-2 in the UEFA Champions League during the 2012-2013 season, before facing another four defeats with Sevilla.

Emery's most painful memory in the Catalan stadium remains the historic defeat with Paris Saint-Germain, when they lost to FC Barcelona 6-1 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 in the 2016-2017 season, after the French team had won the first leg 4-0, thus exiting the competition following one of the most famous comebacks in the tournament's history.

The loss marked the end of Emery's stint with Paris Saint-Germain before moving to Villarreal, where he continued to struggle against FC Barcelona, suffering an initial defeat of four goals to nil. However, he later managed to break the curse and achieve his only victory at Camp Nou with two goals scored by Alfonso Pedraza and Moi Gómez.

Emery hopes this return will be different, as he aims to lead Aston Villa to a positive result against FC Barcelona, allowing him to celebrate his birthday with a new victory in the stadium where his name has been associated with a long series of defeats and difficult memories.