Messi marks Barca milestone, Real held

LIONEL Messi marked his 400th appearance in La Liga with the opening goal in Barcelona’s 3-0 win over struggling Levante at the Camp Nou on Sunday as the Catalans prepared to unveil Philippe Coutinho.

Messi’s 365th goal in Spain’s top flight was followed by strikes from Luis Suarez and Paulinho as Barcelona stretched their lead at the top of the table back to nine points over Atletico Madrid. It was Suarez’s 400th professional goal, his 131st for Barca, putting him seventh on the club’s all-time list of leading scorers.

They are also now a huge 16 points clear of defending champions Real Madrid, who were held to a 2-2 draw away at Celta Vigo despite a brace from Gareth Bale and stay fourth.

With all the talk about the arrival of Coutinho, coach Ernesto Valverde was eager for his side to keep their focus on winning their first league outing since beating Real Madrid 3-0 in the Clasico on December 23.

Barcelona’s previous record recruit Ousmane Dembele – a € 105 million buy from Borussia Dortmund in the summer – was included in the line-up for the first time since tearing his hamstring nearly four months ago.

He came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, including from one 20-yard strike that was beaten away by Levante goalkeeper Oier Olazabal.

“I think he has to bring something to the team, and he also has to face up to the competition for places and for the tackles he will face on the pitch, from opponents who don’t want to let him past,” Valverde said. “It is a process, but I thought he looked good and we still hope he can improve.”

Zidane ‘happy with squad’

Zinedine Zidane’s side do still have a game in hand on the sides above them but they are now only one point further away from the relegation zone than they are from Barcelona.

“We made too many mistakes and lost the ball too often, especially in the second half,” Zidane said.

However, he insisted he isn’t looking for reinforcements in the January transfer window.

“We’ll see what happens but at the moment I am happy with my squad.”

Second-placed Atletico beat Getafe 2-0 on Saturday, with Diego Costa scoring and then being sent off in his first league appearance since returning to the club from Chelsea.

Valencia are 11 points behind Barcelona in third after coming from behind to beat Girona 2-1 at Mestalla on Saturday.