Copa del Rey round-up

With the tantalising prospect of a quarter-final showdown against Real Madrid in store, Barca made short work of Osasuna as Cesc Fabregas and Lionel Messi scored a brace apiece.

Pep Guardiola's side beat Osasuna 8-0 at home in the Primera Division back in September and the Pamplona-based outfit must have feared another mauling when Fabregas netted twice in the opening 18 minutes - the second a superb chip.

As it was, a strong Barca added two more goals from Messi, who climbed off the bench to net in the 72nd and 90th minutes.

The Argentinian's first goal was a close-range header and the second was a fine curling effort from the edge of the box - taking his tally to 31 goals in all competitions this season.

With Real fighting back from 2-0 down to beat Malaga 3-2 in their first leg on Tuesday night, the two Spanish giants remain on course for a repeat of last season's final - which Jose Mourinho's side won 1-0 - in the last eight of this season's competition.

In Wednesday's other last 16 first leg, Real Sociedad continued their good recent form with a 2-0 home win over Real Mallorca.

Sociedad, who have climbed away from the foot of the Primera Division table on the back of a five-match unbeaten run, took the lead through Mikel Aranburu in the 17th minute and Imanol Agirretxe added the second nine minutes into the second half.