Messi wants to go for the winter break on a high

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Terrassa (Barcelona), December 20: Lionel Messi wants to go for the winter break on a high and the only way he can do it is by helping Barcelona win the El Clasico battle with archrivals Real Madrid on Saturday (December 23)

The Argentinian currently heads the scoring charts in La Liga with 14 goals and he is eyeing more in the high-voltage contest at Santiago Bernabeu.

The Catalans are sitting pretty at the top of the table with 42 points, a clear six ahead of nearest rivals Atletico Madrid while Real are 11 points adrift of the leaders in fourth position.

The Catalan giants will need their talisman to put in a big performance if they are to come away from Real with all three points this weekend.

"It would be important to win for what it means, it's always a special game," said Messi while talking about the El Clasico on the sidelines a Gala Awards Ceremony where he collected the Pichichi and the Alfredo Di Stefano Trophy - to honour the top scorer in La Liga for 2016-17 and the player judged to be the best in the division by Spanish newspaper Marca.

The 30-year-old added that it would be a Christmas gift in advance if Barcelona were to win the El Clasico.

"There would still be a lot of league games left, but it would be nice to be able to end the year with a victory and spend a happy Christmas."

Messi, who missed out on this year's Ballon d'Or to Cristiano Ronaldo, would also be renewing his rivalry with the Portuguese striker who is on a high after helping Real defend the FIFA Club World Cup title in Abu Dhabi.

The El Clasico kicks off at 1pm local time (5.30pm IST)