MX23RW : Saturday, March 9 23:17:56
Mar 9, 2019 at 5.30pm UK at ​Camp Nou (Barcelona)
Barcelona
3-1
Rayo Vallecano
Pique (38'), Messi (51' pen.), Suarez (82')
FT(HT: 1-1)
de Tomas (24')

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi's sensational record vs. Rayo Vallecano

Ahead of Barcelona's match against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, Sports Mole looks at Lionel Messi's incredible record in the fixture, including back-to-back hat-tricks.

Barcelona will return to Camp Nou for the first time in almost a month on Saturday when they host Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.

Victory would see the reigning champions take another step towards retaining their title, having poured more misery on Real Madrid with a second Clasico victory at the Bernabeu in the space of four days last time out.

That result left the Catalan giants 12 points clear of their fiercest rivals, although Atletico Madrid remain in contention with seven points separating them from the leaders.

Lionel Messi was unable to extend his Clasico scoring record last weekend, but he has been in typically scintillating form again this season.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has fared against Saturday's opponents in the past.



LMvRAY

It is nothing new for Messi to boast a superb record against any particular opposition, but his one against Rayo is something special even for him.

In just nine meetings, Messi has scored an incredible 16 goals - just short of two per game on average - in addition to registering a further six assists.

Indeed, the Argentine has only failed to score in one of those nine games against Saturday's opponents, and even then he still produced an assist in a 4-0 away win.

This weekend will be Messi's first game against Rayo since March 2016 after he missed the reverse fixture through injury, but on that occasion three years ago he helped himself to a hat-trick.

In fact, Messi has taken the matchball home in his last two meetings with Rayo and has nine goals in his last four such games.

At Camp Nou, the La Liga top scorer has eight goals in four previous meetings, and unsurprisingly he has ended up on the winning side every time he has faced them home or away.

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Barcelona's Lionel Messi reacts angrily to a challenge from Sergio Ramos during the Clasico with Real Madrid on March 2, 2019
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City30242479215874
2Liverpool29217164154970
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs30201957322561
4Manchester UnitedMan Utd29177558382058
5Arsenal29176661392257
6Chelsea28175649301956
7Wolverhampton WanderersWolves29127103735243
8Watford30127114244-243
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham30116133743-639
10Leicester CityLeicester30115143842-438
11Everton30107134142-137
12Bournemouth30114154154-1337
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle3097142938-934
14Crystal Palace3096153641-533
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2996143242-1033
16Southampton3079143450-1630
17Burnley2986153253-2130
18Cardiff CityCardiff3084182757-3028
19Fulham3045212868-4017
20Huddersfield TownHuddersfield3035221553-3814

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