Ernesto Valverde: 'Barcelona want to keep La Liga rivals at a distance'

Ernesto Valverde has stressed that Barcelona want to keep their La Liga title rivals "at a distance" following their 6-1 win over Girona on Saturday.

The Blaugrana fell behind to Cristian Portu's third-minute goal at Camp Nou but a Luis Suarez hat-trick, Lionel Messi's brace and Philippe Coutinho's strike gave the hosts all three points.

Barcelona sit top of La Liga, 10 points ahead of Atletico Madrid and 14 clear of Real Madrid, and Valverde wants to maintain as big a cushion as possible with 13 games left to play.

"When you win in this fashion, it seems that everything is a bit more relaxed but I think in that sense it's good for us from the point of view that we have been able to rest a few players," Valverde told the official Barca site.

"We have been able to make a few changes during the game because we have got an important week coming up. We enter into the decisive phase of the championship where the points count for a lot, and we want to keep our rivals at a distance."

Barcelona travel to Las Palmas on Thursday before facing second-placed Atletico at Camp Nou three days later.