Routing Olympiacos gives Barça pre-Clásico confidence boost - ESPN

BARCELONA, Spain — Fermín López's first Barcelona hat trick and a Marcus Rashford brace helped the Spanish champions hammer Olympiacos 6-1 on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League to give Hansi Flick's side a dose of confidence ahead of Sunday's top-of-the-table Clásico clash against LaLiga leaders Real Madrid.

The scoreline flattered Barça in the end. Four of the goals came in the final 25 minutes after Olympiacos were reduced to 10 men, but Flick will clutch to the positives as he looks to extend Barça's winning run under his management against Madrid to five games this weekend.

And there were plenty of positives. Fermín returned from a muscle injury off the bench last week, but he was fit enough to start here and delivered a clinic in finishing. His second and third goals were particularly well taken, and his hat trick would have arrived sooner but for a deft header from a Lamine Yamal cross dropping just wide.

«I am really happy — we needed a win like this,» Fermín told reporters. «The feelings were really good after the game and now we can turn our attention to the Clásico. And on top of that, my first hat trick. It's an absolute dream to have the match ball, signed by all teammates, to take home with me.»

Rashford, meanwhile, grew into his role as the team's No. 9 in the absence of Robert Lewandowski. By the end of the game, after netting a stunning second goal with a strike with minimal back lift from the edge of the box, he was trying all sorts of tricks.

The England international — at 27, the oldest outfield player of a young Barça XI that included a full debut for 17-year-old Dro Fernández — is settling in well. That is now five goals and five assists in 12 appearances. No Barça player has more goal