Hard work will pay off, says goal-shy Villa

BARCELONA head into tonight’s Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk in buoyant mood, although striker David Villa admits to concern over his recent lack of goals at club level.

Barca now boast an eight-point advantage over Real Madrid at the Primera Division summit with only eight games remaining after Pep Guardiola’s men took full advantage of Madrid’s shock home defeat to Sporting Gijon by beating third-placed Villarreal 1-0.

Although Villa recently became Spain’s record goalscorer with a brace against the Czech Republic, he has not found the back of the net in his last six outings for Barca — having previously struck in four successive matches and notched 21 goals for the club since his big-money move from Valencia.