Lionel Messi boosts Barcelona as Euro rival Man City stumbles

Lionel Messi has set the stage for a potentially season-defining week for Barcelona, scoring both goals as his team went four points clear at the top of the Spanish league on Saturday.

The 2-0 win at tiny Eibar, a side playing in La Liga for the first time and which has now lost eight games in a row, may not seem like an unexpected achievement.

But, with a European Champions League last-16 decider at home to Manchester City on Wednesday and then the "El Clasico" crunch clash with bitter rival Real Madrid next Sunday, every win is vital at this stage of the campaign.

"We're going into the Clasico as leaders and in perfect form," Barca coach Luis Enrique said. "But first we have to focus on City because qualification is at stake. Then we'll see what happens at the weekend."

Messi has now scored 43 goals this season, first netting a 31st-minute penalty after Borja Ekiza unluckily handled the Argentine's blocked shot and then bulleting in a header from Ivan Rakitic's corner 10 minutes after the restart.