Barcelona have secured the perfect start in their crunch La Liga clash with Valencia tonight.The Catalans are looking to close down the title gap on arch rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid on

Former Valencia academy graduate Ferran Torres doubled their lead on the night just five minutes later as Barça smelled blood in the water, further adding to the scoreline in the 14th and 24th minutes via strikes from Brazilian star Raphinha and Fermín López.

The attacker is being linked with AC Milan this week. But ahead of their Champions League clash with Benfica, Torres said: "I could say that I have learned a lot, with ups and downs. I have had some great moments and some not so great ones.

Milan are reportedly assessing a host of names to bolster their attack this January, but they won’t certainly sign Ferran Torres after the forward publicly committed his future to Barcelona.

Auckland FC manager Steve Corica said their strong first season in Australia's A-League is down to the club's culture and players' attitude as the New Zealanders bid to become the first new entrant to win the championship in their debut campaign.

Goal! Benfica 4, Barcelona 5. Raphinha (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Ferran Torres following a fast break. Attempt missed.

Barcelona got off to a strong start against Valencia in the Spanish league on Sunday, with four different players scoring in the first 24 minutes. Frenkie de Jong opened the scoring in the third minute,

Fermin Lopez scored twice and provided two assists as Barcelona thrashed Valencia to end their four-game winless La Liga run. Frenkie

Hansi Flick heaped praise on Gavi for refusing to come on as a late substitute during Barcelona's 7-1 demolition of Valencia.

After a four-match winless streak in LaLiga, Barcelona bounced back in style, hammering Valencia 7-1 to regain third spot in the table.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick praised his team's hunger for goals as they routed Valencia 7-1 in LaLiga on Sunday.