This is the first time this season that Messi has gone two games in which he’s played the full 90 minutes without a goal. Messi missed out in El Molinon and at the Emirates, but the figures seem to ensure that he’ll soon be back on the scoresheet –watch out Bilbao!

Regular scorer

Messi has been a nightmare for nearly every defence Barça have faced this year with his goal scoring reaching new heights. True, he failed to score against Sporting and Bilbao in the first half of the season, and indeed against Rubin in the next game, but that was because the rough treatment handed out to him by Ujfalusi at the Vicente Calderón meant he missed the two domestic games completely and only came on as a second half sub against Rubin.

No goals in two big wins

At the end of 2010, Messi also failed to score against Real Sociedad(5-1) and Espanyol(1-4) and was on the bench for the next game against Bilbao in the Cup, whilst he missed the first La Liga game of 2011 against Llevant. Although he then missed out in the return Cup game at San Mames, he did set up Abidal for the team’s only goal. However, Messi did not play the full 90 minutes in any of these games.

Champions League last 16 goals

With Guardiola as manager, Messi has always scored in the last 16 of the Champions League in games played at the Nou Camp. In the 2008/09 season, against Lyon, he made it 3-0 in what turned out to be a 5-2 win. Last season against Stuttgart he scored twice, after failing to score in the first leg as he did on Wednesday.