FC Barcelona and Athletic Club have met on five occasions in the last eight seasons in the Copa del Rey and another fascinating duel awaits on Thursday in the first leg of the last 16 tie between the two.
The first of these meetings was in the final of the 2009 edition when Barça won 4-1, the first trophy in the Pep Guardiola era.
Two seasons later, the pair met again and, after a 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou, an unlikely scorer in Eric Abidal in the second leg helped Barça progress to the next round.
The following campaign, they met in the final again, as Pedro Rodriguez scored twice and Leo Messi grabbed one to help Barça to the 2012 title.
The final of 2015 at the Camp Nou saw one of the tournament’s most famous goals as a wonderful solo effort from Messi sent Barça on their way to the trophy.
Last year, Barça defeated Athletic 2-1 in Bilbao before a 3-1 win at home en route to winning the title over Sevilla.
