* Barca, Real warm up for 'clasico' with big wins
* Champions Barca match their biggest ever away success
* Messi and Ronaldo score hat-tricks (updates with Real win)
Barcelona blasted Almeria 8-0 to match their biggest
ever away win but remained second in La Liga behind Real Madrid who
thrashed Athletic Bilbao 5-1 on Saturday.
World Player of the Year Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick for
Barca, taking his tally for the season to 13, while substitute
Bojan Krkic scored twice, Andres Iniesta and Pedro bagged one
apiece and Santiago Acasiete netted an own goal.
Barcelona's biggest away win since they hammered Las Palmas by
the same scoreline in 1959 led to struggling Almeria sacking their
coach Juan Manuel Lillo soon after the match.
At the Bernabeu, La Liga top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo also
bagged a hat-trick to move on to 14 goals, while Gonzalo Higuain
and Sergio Ramos also netted to ensure Jose Mourinho's side
maintained their one-point advantage at the top.
With nine days to go until unbeaten Real visit the Nou Camp the
Madrid side have 32 points from 12 matches.
Barca have 31 points and have opened up a seven-point lead over
third-placed Villarreal who drew 1-1 at home with local rivals
Valencia, who are fourth with 21.
Villarreal's Italy striker Giuseppe Rossi equalised in the 73rd
minute to cancel out Aritz Aduriz's 21st-minute opener.
Injury-hit Valencia had Lithuanian defender Marius Stankevicius
sent off 10 minutes from time but Villarreal could not find a
winner and lost their 100 percent home record.
uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
