During last 40 years FC Barcelona has always won the Spanish Cup every of the four times since then that the year had finished with number “8”: 1968, 1978, 1988 and 1998! This year is 2008 and the big question is: will Barcelona maintain fidelity to the statistics and will win the Spanish Cup? It is not easy to give the correct answer because although the sequences of numbers, football never has been a reliable game in any aspect.
Anyway and until now the performance of FC Barcelona in the Spanish Cup this season, although has not been spectacular, it is at least in the right way to obtain the trophy: 6 matches played in total, against Alcoyano from Second Division B in last 32 phase (0-3 and 2-2); against Sevilla in last 16 phase (1-1 and 0-0) and against Villarreal in last 8 phase (0-0 and 1-0). Total 4 draws and 2 wins.
Now FC Barcelona is only 3 matches far to become champion: two leg semi-final phase in front of Valencia (February 27 in Camp Nou and March 19 in Mestalla Stadium) and, if winner, then the final match, probably in Madrid on April 16, against the winner of the other semi-final between Getafe and Racing Santander.
So in about 10 weeks we will know if FC Barcelona knows to play in favour of the statistics.

Next March 4 Barcelona will be invaded again by Celtic Glasgow supporters when the Scottish team will play the second leg match of Champions League in Camp Nou. Only about 5,000 supporters will have tickets and the privilege to attend the match in the FC Barcelona Stadium. According the Celtic Supporters Association other 10,000 supporters without tickets will also travel to Barcelona. The travel agencies have already sold all packs, with and without ticket to visit Barcelona in one month time. Some of them will try to obtain the valued tickets through official resale companies but few of them will be successful.
The town council authorities, FC Barcelona and Celtic Glasgow board members have already initiated talks to find out an adequate space for all Scottish supporters without tickets and therefore to avoid any possible incident. The Forum area or another area not far from Plaza España will be possibly prepared as a ‘fan zone’ to house for few hours all supporters.
The only change in the ‘invaders quantity’ could takes place according the score in the first leg match if FC Barcelona is able to take a notable advantage but anyway the supporters difference would be not very important. It should be remembered that the travelling European record is for Celtic Glasgow supporters – 80,000 of them travel to Sevilla for the UEFA Final in 2003.