Barcelona’s route to the final

On Saturday 30 May two old foes will meet in the final of the Copa S.M el Rey: FC Barcelona and Athletic Club. Two historic teams from the Liga BBVA who have each reached the final on 37 occasions, with the Catalan club winning the most trophies, lifting the cup some 26 times.

Barcelona set off on their path to the final on 3 December at SD Huesca, winning the first leg 4-0 before thrashing the Aragón side 8-1 at the return leg at the Camp Nou. Pedro Rodríguez was the protagonist in that game, scoring a hat-trick. Meanwhile, Marc-Andréter Stegen played e vital role in the last 16 tie, keeping two clean sheets as Barcelona thrashed Elche CF 5-0 in the first leg and 4-0 in the second, qualifying for the next round in emphatic style.

The quarter finals threw up a re-match of the final match of the 2013-14 Liga BBVA season, as Barcelona took on Atlético Madrid. Diego Simeone’s side came into the game with high spirits after beating local rivals Real Madrid in the previous round, but Atlético met the might and magic of Leo Messi and Neymar. The Argentinian scored the only goal of the game, while in the return leg the Brazilian scored twice in a 3-2 win for the Catalans.

The last hurdle before the final was Villarreal CF, who had reached the semi-finals for the first time in their history. Messi ushered Barça towards the final by breaking the deadlock in the first leg, which finished 3-1 to the blaugrana. The Catalan side also won the second leg 3-1, giving Luis Enrique his first ever cup final as a coach. The Asturian lifted the cup as a player for Barcelona, but is now looking for his first cup win from the dugout.