Barca, who played an hour without the benched Messi, could see their lead at the top of the table reduced to nine points if Atletico Madrid beat relegation-threatened Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday night
Browsing: Ernesto Valverde
Ernesto Valverde’s side are unbeaten in their 26 league games this season but though victory against their closest challengers would leave them eight points clear at the top, the Spaniard insists the showdown will not decide the title
Ernesto Valverde’s side were made to battle for their point in an industrious encounter, as Lionel Messi grabbed his first-ever away goal on the island in what turned out to be a frustrating night for the visitors
Early goals from Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi calmed the nerves at the Nou Camp on Thursday
In his 599 games since 2004 the 30-year-old Argentine legend has scored 523 goals all competitions to be the club’s all time top scorer and the top scorer in La Liga with 360
The visitors enjoyed the majority of the possession throughout the match, but clean chances were few and far between for both sides
A thrilling second half to the El Clasico showdown in Catalonia saw Lionel Messi cancel out an earlier Gerard Pique own goal from the penalty spot, with the decision controversially given after Luis Suarez appeared to dive
The new coach os expected to arrive at Camp Nou during the summer