BARCELONA - ATLÉTICO
Leo Messi hasn't missed a final with Barcelona since 2006
If he is booked tonight and Barcelona go through to the final, he will not be able to play. Gil Manzano booked him in El Clásico and the derby last season.
Barcelona go into tonight's Copa del Rey semi-final return leg with three players walking a fine line in terms of yellow cards: Samuel Umtiti and Jordi Alba are one booking away from missing the next game - should the Catalans make the final. And would Leo Messi. The Argentinean has not missed a final through suspension since 2006. Back then, Messi didn't have such a prominent role in the side - Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho were the team's references in attack and it wasn't such a big deal that he missed the Champions League final against Arsenal, as well as both of the Spanish Suoercup legs against Real Betis and the Club World Cup final against Internacional de Porto Alegre in Tokyo on 17 December 2006.
Barça finals
Since then, Messi hasn't missed any of the 31 finals which Barça have played. He has scored 25 goals in all of the finals which Barcelona have played over the past 11 years, including the three Champions League finals, three Club World Cup finals and two European Super Cup finals.
Curiously, the match official for this evening's semi-final Jesús Gil Manzano, booked Messi in the 2014-15 Clásico and showed him a yellow card in last season's Catalan derby against Espanyol.