Barcelona prepared for El Clasico this weekend with a 3-1 Champions League victory over Ajax in which Lionel Messi and Neymar were both on the scoresheet.
The South Americans netted in the first half to continue a run of each scoring in Barcelona's last five matches, before Anwar El-Ghazi gave the hosts a late scare.
© Getty Images
However, substitute Sandro Ramirez secured Barca the points in stoppage time as they responded to defeat to Group F rivals Paris Saint-Germain in their last European outing.
Messi provided Neymar with Barcelona's eighth-minute opener at the Camp Nou when he ran across the Ajax defence before finding the Brazilian, who confidently curled inside the far post right footed.
The La Liga giants doubled their lead when Andres Iniesta intelligently spotted the run of Messi, whose perfect first touch allowed him to prod home from close range, despite a firm wrist from Jasper Cillessen.
As the Catalan outfit looked to extend a two-goal lead that had been established within 24 minutes, Pedro was the next to benefit from Messi's wizardry, but his left-footed drive came back off the post.
Iniesta nearly added his name to the scoresheet before the break when he burst through the Ajax defence and attempted to lift the ball over Cillessen, but this time the Dutchman's hand was strong enough.
© Getty Images
Barcelona's star-studded attack, playing for the last time during Luis Suarez's suspension, picked up where they left off in the second half as quick passing and smart footwork undid Ajax again and again.
Messi had a goal disallowed when the offside flag was raised immediately after he tapped in the rebound of Pedro's parried shot, and soon hit the side-netting following a mazy run inside a packed penalty box.
Luis Enrique took the decision to spare Messi, Neymar and Iniesta the final 25 minutes ahead of their trip to Real Madrid on Saturday, and their departures helped Ajax slowly grab a foothold in the match.
Right-back Ricardo van Rhijn should have scored when he screwed wide following a determined run to the far post, while a miscued clearance from the shaky Gerard Pique landed on the roof of the net.
The Dutch outfit, managed by former Barca defender Frank de Boer, hinted that Enrique may pay for his substitutions when teenager El-Ghazi poked home on 87 minutes after the hosts failed to clear.
However, one of the youngsters whom Enrique entrusted to replace his high-profile trio, Sandro, relieved the pressure on his side by drilling into the bottom corner from inside the area on 94 minutes.
Barcelona trail PSG by one point at the top of the table following the French side's 1-0 win over APOEL.
No Data Analysis info
Germany
Switzerland
Hungary
Scotland
Spain
Italy
Croatia
Albania
England
Denmark
Slovenia
Serbia
Austria
France
Netherlands
Poland
Romania
Belgium
Slovakia
Ukraine
Portugal
Turkey
Georgia
Czech Republic
