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#3 Francisco Trincao continues positive development
Francisco Trincao has been one of the revelations for Barcelona since the turn of the year.
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The 18-year-old came off the bench to score the winning goal in the 3-2 victory over Real Betis last weekend. It was his first goal for Barcelona and he was rewarded with a start against Alaves.
Trincao rewarded his manager's faith with two well-taken goals and could have scored a hat-trick but for some fine saves by Fernando Pacheco.
#2 Perfect preparation for the visit of Paris Saint-Germain
Barcelona have been drawn with PSG in the round-of-16 of the UEFA Champions League, with the first leg scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
The La Liga side's initial struggles had many pin the French outfit as favorites in the tie but the pendulum has swung since then.
Neymar suffered an injury in the cup clash with Caen in midweek, ruling the Brazilian out of the clash with his former side. This robs the Parisians off their most potent weapon and Barcelona will fancy their chances against the French champions.
Having suffered a morale-draining defeat to Sevilla last week, the Catalans needed a response and they gave an emphatic statement with their victory over Alaves.
It was a comprehensive display from the Camp Nou outfit and will help reinstall confidence ahead of the visit of PSG.
#1 Evergreen Lionel Messi inspires Barcelona to yet another victory
Lionel Messi took to the field for the 505th time in La Liga for Barcelona. This saw him draw level with the great Xavi Hernandez as the player with the most league appearances in the club's history.
He is now just eight appearances from Xavi's total appearances in all competitions and Messi celebrated the milestone with a well-taken brace.
Both goals were throwbacks to Lionel Messi at his very best, with dribbles and precise shots from outside the box leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.
In addition to his brace, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner also had a hand in two other goals. His saved shot was parried to Trincao for the fourth goal, while he started the buildup for the fifth with a delightfully dinked pass.
The goals took the Argentina international to 15 league goals for the season, one behind Luis Suarez in his quest for a fifth consecutive Pichichi crown.
