Messi warned Espanyol of what was to come in the warm-up

The reigning LaLiga champions swatted their Catalan rivals to one side at the RCDE Stadium, with Messi finding the net with two stunning free-kicks in a single LaLiga game for the first time in his career.

Naturally, the Argentine was been hailed for that achievement in the hours that followed, with his club keen to show the hard work that goes into the perfect set-piece technique.

Barca's official Twitter account shared images of Messi practicing against back-up goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen ahead of Saturday's game, with the Dutchmanfailing to get close to his team-mate's strikes.

Whilst there was no wall present during the warm-up, Messi showed that he is more than capable of getting the ball up and over a defensive barrier once the whistle went as he twice left Diego Lopez in the home goal grasping at thin air.

Check out the video for yourself below:

 

December 9, 2018