FC Barcelona are on the verge of scooping the second consecutive domestic double. They only need to beat Valencia in the Copa del Rey final this Saturday, May 25. However, it may not be that easy. First of all, the Catalans have lost Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez to injuries while Philippe Coutinho remains a doubt for this game despite having rejoined the training.
Secondly, Valencia managed to remain undefeated against Barcelona during the 2018/2019 La Liga campaign. Both games resulted in draws with Los Che opening the scoring on both occasions. The Mestalla fixture saw Barca conceding in the first minute of the game. Thankfully, Lionel Messi netted a crucial equalizer thanks to Luis Suarez's assist in the 23rd minute.
The Camp Nou game turned out to be even more dramatic. Barca were trailing 2-0 by the 32nd minute. Leo Messi - again! - pulled one back shortly before the break and added another in the 64th minute. Unfortunately, the Argentinean received a heavy blow to his thigh during this game which affected his performance for the further weeks.
The last 10 fixtures between Barca and Valencia, as per Transfermarkt:
In total, however, Barcelona have faced Valencia 190 times in all competitions and emerged victorious on 90 occasions. They have lost 51 matches while 49 other games have ended up in draws. Lionel Messi remains the best goalscorer of the duel with 27 goals.
Luckily, Barca haven't lost to Valencia for more than three years. Their last defeat dates back to April 17, 2016. The Catalans sensationally lost 2-1 to Los Che at the Camp Nou stadium with Ivan Rakitic netting a disappointing own goal and Leo Messi striking a consolation goal.
