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Cup Final. Did you know…

19.04.2011 12:47

Manel Tomàs / Jordi Clos

Barça and Real Madrid meet again, this time in the Copa del Rey final. Such a historic encounter inevitably throws up plenty of juicy trivia.

►In 1942, Barça played off to avoid relegation to the second division and seven days later played in the cup final against Athletic Bilbao at Chamartín (4-3, in extra time). In the semi finals, Barça had beaten league champions Valencia 5-0 at Les Corts. In the play off, at the same venue, Barça stayed up by beating Murcia 5-1.

►Barça has won more Spanish Cups outright than any other club. They have four. These are won by winning the competition three years in a row or in five non-consecutive seasons. They need to win two more to get to keep another. Athletic Bilbao have three trophies and Madrid have two.

►Barça’s top scorer in cup history is Josep Samitier with 65 goals. Leo Messi is fourteenth on the list with 17. Of the current squad, Bojan is the second highest cup goalscorer with nine.

►This is the fifth meeting of Barça and Madrid in the cup final. Barça have won three of these games (1968, 1983 and 1990) and Madrid won two (1936 and 1974).

►The last one, in 1989/90, was also played at Mestalla. It was decided by goals from Guillermo Amor and Julio Salinas.

►Barcelona have won four of the five cup finals they have played at Mestalla.

►Barça have appeared in a total of 34 finals and have won 25 (74%), while Wednesday’s night’s opponents have lost more (19) than they have won (17).

►The two clubs have not met in the Copa del Rey since 1996/97, when FCB put out the all-whites in the round of sixteen by winning 3-2 at the Camp Nou and drawing 1-1 at the Bernabéu.

►Pep Guardiola played in three cup finals as a player, and won two of them. This is his second cup final as a coach, after debuting in 2009.

►Madrid manager José Mourinho won the Copa del Rey in 1997 and 1998 with Barça, as assistant to Sir Bobby Robson and Louis Van Gaal, respectively.

Credit: FC Barcelona (www.fcbarcelona.com)