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After Messi, a reason for Barca to forget 1972

Barca's World Player of the Year Messi passed Germany striker Muller's tally and set a calendar-year scoring record of 86 goals for club and country in 2012 with a double in a 2-1 win at Real Betis in La Liga on Sunday.

It is also 40 years since the Catalans last visited Cordoba.

"In sport anything is possible," said Carlos Gonzalez, president of second tier Cordoba. "But it will be very tough.

"Barca's second team could be runners-up in the league although we would have a better chance with them," he told reporters.

The winning goal was a disputed 54th-minute penalty struck by another Real loan player Fermin who beat Barca's Miguel Reina, a Cordoba local and father of current Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe.

Asked about Barca forward Messi's goal-scoring run, Gonzalez joked: "We have tried to speak to the police to see if they could detain him".

New Valencia coach Ernesto Valverde celebrated his debut at the helm with a 1-0 win at struggling Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday and he returns to Pamplona looking for a repeat in Tuesday's first leg.

Third tier Eibar head off to San Mames to play last year's runners-up Athletic Bilbao for a delayed last-32 return match where they defend a 0-0 first-leg result.