Lopez and Rashford lead Barcelona to crushing victory over Olympiacos

Fermin Lopez scored three times while Marcus Rashford added a brace as Barcelona secured a convincing 6-1 win against Olympiacos on Tuesday, helping the Catalan club regain momentum in the Champions League.

Young talent Lamine Yamal also found the net for Hansi Flick's team, following their earlier defeat to defending champions Paris Saint Germain in the league phase.

Following two goals from Lopez, Ayoub El Kaabi converted a penalty for the Greek side, yet a sending off for Santiago Hezze enabled a depleted Barcelona to pile on the goals and climb temporarily to third place.

Flick missed key players like Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha along with others due to injuries, yet his squad gained valuable assurance at the Olympic Stadium before facing Real Madrid in Sunday's La Liga Clasico.

Barcelona had narrowly defeated Girona in Saturday's close regional clash, and they risked conceding early against Olympiacos as well.

Alejandro Balde lost possession, forcing experienced keeper Wojciech Szczesny to dive sharply and stop Daniel Podence.

Balde soon contributed offensively, his forward surges allowing Barcelona to break down the opponents.

Rashford connected with a volley just over the bar after 17-year-old creator Dro Fernandez linked up with Balde on the flank.

Balde played a part once more as Barcelona went ahead early, passing to Lopez who then set up Yamal.

Olympiacos shot stopper Konstantinos Tzolakis reacted quickly to thwart the young winger, though Lopez reacted first to tap in the rebound.

Rashford fired a free kick into the side netting while Barcelona dominated possession, even if defensive errors remained an ongoing issue this term.

With the upcoming Clasico on Sunday, these moments of distraction pose concerns.

Olympiacos brief hope fades quickly

Lopez claimed his second goal just before the break, assisted by Dro during his first Champions League appearance.

The midfielder came close to completing his treble soon after the restart, but Tzolakis diverted his header from Yamal's delivery.

Olympiacos fought back via Moroccan forward El Kaabi.

He rose between Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia to nod in, although the effort was ruled out for offside, before a handball by Garcia led to a spot kick.

El Kaabi calmly beat Szczesny to offer his side a chance, but their hopes diminished shortly after.

Barcelona's Marc Casado went down following minimal involvement with Hezze, who received a debatable second booking.

Rashford earned a penalty after going down to a challenge from Tzolakis, and Yamal deceived the keeper to increase Barcelona's advantage in the 68th minute.

Thriving on loan from Manchester United, Rashford struck twice in quick succession, sandwiching Lopez's final goal as the home side overwhelmed their foes.

Rashford outsmarted Tzolakis with precise low shots to the near post on both occasions, bringing his Champions League tally to four this season after his earlier double against Newcastle.