Barcelona host Eibar at Camp Nou on Sunday looking for a response to their 2-1 defeat at the hands of Levante in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last-16 tie in midweek.

A Lionel Messi-less Barca gave themselves work to do in next week's second leg as they go in search of a fifth straight cup crown, but first they must refocus on their bid to lift the La Liga title once again.

Messi is expected to return for the visit of Eibar, with Barcelona aiming for a sixth consecutive league win and hoping to extend their five-point lead at the top of the table.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how the Argentine maestro has fared against Eibar in the past.

On average, Messi has directly contributed to two goals every time he has faced Eibar, scoring the vast majority of them himself with 12 in seven such meetings.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has never failed to win against Sunday's opponents, and their most recent meeting in February was the first time that he had ever drawn a blank - although he did still register an assist.

Messi scored four on Eibar's last visit to Camp Nou, though, and in three previous home games against them he has netted seven times.

Four of the previous seven meetings have seen the Barca skipper score at least twice, although not since his very first match against Eibar - in October 2014 - has he both scored and assisted in the same game.

Written by
Barney Corkhill