Goals galore against Rayo Vallecano

Barça are at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday at 8.45pm, and it’s a fixture in which the Catalans have developed a knack of scoring lots and lots of goals.

There’s been a 9-0 (1979), a 7-1 (1989) and a 6-0 (1997), and even without home advantage Barça have racked up some big wins, including a 7-0 victory at Vallecas in 2012.

And the trend has continued. This is how the last three clashes between the two sides have ended (click on the video to see the action)

8/3/2015 FC Barcelona 6-1 Rayo Vallecano

FCB goals: Suárez 2, Piqué, Messi 3 (1 pen)

17/10/2015 FC Barcelona 5-2 Rayo Vallecano

FCB goals: Neymar 4 (2 pens), Suárez

3/3/2016 Rayo Vallecano 1-5 FC Barcelona

FCB goals: Rakitic, Messi 3, Turan

• Barça are on an amazing 11-match run of straight victories against Rayo, and another win tomorrow would match their current joint record of 12 consecutive wins against both Malaga and Real Valladolid.

• In fact, in 34 league meetings dating back to 1978, Rayo have managed four wins. Although hopefully not ominously, current manager Michel played in three of those games.

• Barça’s most recent goalfests have been helped by Rayo getting five players sent off in four games.

• Rayo have special reason to be relieved that Leo Messi won’t be in the visiting line-up on Saturday. The Argentinian has scored two hat-tricks in his last two games against them, and 16 goals in total.

• Of the players that will be in the team, Luis Suárez leads the way with three goals in three games (although Ivan Rakitic has scored four against Rayo, but just one of those in a Barça shirt.)