2018/19 Copa del Rey Final
Barcelona vs Valencia
Estadio Benito Villamarin, Seville
Saturday, May 25th
Kick-off at 19:00
They swept aside all before them in the race for the La Liga title in 2018/19 and now just one gladiator remains, standing in the Blaugrana’s path to victory and ready to do battle in this season’s
Copa Del Rey Final.
Barcelona will take on Valencia in the showpiece event to be staged at the beautiful Estadio Benito Villamarin, the home of Real Betis.
Ernesto Valverde’s side can be forgiven for not picking up all three points from their final league match, as the newly elected champions drew 2-2 away at Eibar in a dead-rubber encounter. Lionel Messi’s brace took his personal tally to 50 for the season, in just 49 appearances in all competitions, as he took home the Pichichi Trophy. This is the sixth time that the little magician has surpassed the half-century mark in a single campaign.
Barcelona recent results: (all competitions)
19/05 – Eibar 2-2 Barcelona
12/05 – Barcelona 2-0 Getafe
07/05 – Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona (UCL)
Los Che will be looking to end a decade-long trophy drought and add an 8
th Copa crown to their cabinet when they take on the competitions most successful club (Barcelona have won the Copa del Rey a record 30 times).
Their last taste of silverware came over ten years ago when they claimed 3-1 win over Getafe at the end of the 2007/08 season. Despite their recent Europa League exit at the hands of Arsenal, Valencia head into this fixture off the back of some fine domestic form, having won all three of their matches domestically in May, scoring 11 goals and conceding just three.
Valencia recent results: (all competitions)
18/05 – Valladolid 0-2 Valencia
12/05 – Valencia 3-1 Alaves
09/05 – Valencia 2-4 Arsenal
Barcelona beat Cultural Leonesa, Levante, Sevilla and Real Madrid in the previous rounds while Valencia had to navigate past Ebro, Sporting Gijon, Getafe and Real Betis in order to reach this phase.
The duo exchanged blows on a couple of occasions already this season, with nothing to separate the two teams. A 1-1 draw in Valencia back in October was followed up with a 2-2 stalemate when the pair met in the reverse fixture, played in Catalunia in February.
Valencia have not beaten Barcelona in over three years – a run of eight matches since claiming a 2-1 win away from home in La Liga in April 2016.
Former Valencianistes Juan Mata, David Silva and David Villa were the stars of the show on a famous night at the Mestalla in 2008, on route to lifting the trophy, as they dumped the Blaugrana out at the quarter-final stage with a 3-2 (4-3 aggregate) triumph.
In six Copa matches between them since, Barcelona are unbeaten – winning four and drawing two – scoring 14 goals in the process at an average of 2.3 goals per game.
Barcelona vs Valencia recent head-to-head: (last seven - all competitions)
02/02/2019 – Barcelona 2-2 Valencia
07/10/2018 – Valencia 1-1 Barcelona
14/04/2018 – Barcelona 2-1 Valencia
08/02/2018 – Valencia 0-2 Barcelona (CDR)
01/02/2018 – Barcelona 1-0 Valencia (CDR)
26/11/2017 – Valencia 1-1 Barcelona
19/03/2017 – Barcelona 4-2 Valencia
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