Barcelona are set to tackle Atletico Madrid for the second time this season, with this extremely anticipated encounter coming within the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
Having already confronted a 1-2 defeat in opposition to Diego Simeone’s facet in La Liga, the Catalan giants will probably be keen to show issues round and take advantage of their latest attacking kind.
Of their final 4 matches throughout all competitions, Barcelona have discovered the again of the online 12 instances, showcasing their offensive power forward of this important tie.
Clashes between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are at all times tightly contested, usually determined by the narrowest of margins.
A take a look at their latest encounters highlights this reality, as three of their final 5 conferences have led to a 1-0 scoreline.
Nonetheless, whereas Atletico have posed challenges within the league, Barcelona maintain a robust report in opposition to them within the Copa del Rey.
Barcelona’s report vs Atletico Madrid in Copa del Rey
To place issues into perspective, the final time Barcelona suffered a Copa del Rey defeat in opposition to Atletico Madrid was within the second leg of the semi-finals in the course of the 1999/00 season.
Since then, the Catalan facet have dominated their encounters on this competitors, profitable 5 out of their final six matches. The one exception throughout this run was a draw.
Lionel Messi has scored a hat-trick vs Atletico in Copa del Rey. (Picture by Jasper Juinen/Getty Photos)
A key facet of Barcelona’s success in these fixtures has been their capability to attain persistently. In 4 of these 5 wins, they’ve managed to attain no less than two targets.
The newest Copa del Rey assembly between these two sides occurred on 7 February 2017, ending in a 1-1 draw, with targets from Luis Suarez and Kevin Gameiro.
Messi has dominated this fixture
Barcelona’s dominance on this competitors is additional highlighted by particular person performances, notably from Lionel Messi.
Within the 5 Copa del Rey victories over Atletico, Messi has contributed 5 targets, together with a memorable hat-trick in the course of the 2008/09 season.
General, of their final six Copa del Rey clashes in opposition to Atletico, Barcelona have scored 12 targets whereas conceding simply 5, a statistic that may give them confidence heading into this semi-final.
With a spot within the Copa del Rey last at stake, Barcelona will intention to take care of their spectacular report and safe a vital victory over their Madrid rivals.
Given their attacking momentum and previous performances on this competitors, they’ll look to take full benefit and make a robust assertion as they push for one more home trophy.