Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman heaped praise on captain Lionel Messi after two scorching strikes set up a 5-1 rout of Alaves to warm up for their upcoming Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain in style.
Portuguese forward Francisco Trincao put Barca in front and Messi thought he had doubled the lead later on when knocking in on the rebound but the goal was ruled out for a marginal offside against Antoine Griezmann.
There was no doubting the legitimacy of Messi's next strike as the Barca captain thumped the ball off the far post with such venom that it landed just inside the opposite post.
Alaves' Luis Rioja pounced on a mistake by 18-year-old debutant midfielder Ilaix Moriba to reduce the deficit in the second half but Barca came roaring back with a second strike from Trincao, another long-range missile from Messi and then a fifth goal crafted by Messi and Griezmann and finished off by left-back Junior Firpo.
"Messi is in a fantastic moment of form," said Koeman. "We know how decisive he is and right now he is in the mood. With him playing in this form, everything is easier. If we want to beat PSG, we need Leo and everyone else at the top of their game."
A seventh consecutive league win took Barca up to second in the standings on 46 points, eight behind leaders Atletico Madrid.
Koeman expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance after making several changes and said they were feeling confident ahead of Tuesday's showdown against PSG, who will be without an injured Neymar.
"We believe we can get through the tie. They have some injuries but so do we and we'll have to play very well to knock them out," added the coach.
"We have to be more efficient than ever in attack and strong in defence. I'm sure it'll be a marvellous game."
