Barça's penalty count equals record over last decade

The penalty awarded to Barcelona in El Molinón on Wednesday night was the 12th the side have won so far in 2015-16, a Liga record over the past decade at this stage of the season. The previous high mark was also Barça’s, in the 1989-90 campaign, when the Camp Nou club had been awarded 11 spot kicks by the 24th round of action.

Real Madrid had placed the ball on the spot on 10 occasions in both 1987-88 and 2011-12, and so far this season have been awarded the same number with 24 Liga matches played.

If Barça have a another penalty appeal upheld this season Luis Enrique’s side will equal the record over the past 10 years held by Madrid, who eventually took 13 penalty kicks over the course of the 2011-12 season.

Of the 12 penalties Barcelona’s front three have attempted this season five have been missed or saved; Messi twice, Neymar twice and Luis Suárez once. The highest total the club missed in a single season was in 1978-79, when Manuel Clares and Johan Neeskens failed to score with three each and Johan Cruyff missed one.