Barcelona forward Paco Alcacer determined to fight for his place at Nou Camp

Barcelona striker Paco Alcacer has expressed his desire to stay at the Nou Camp and fight for a place in Ernesto Valverde's first team after scoring twice to help the Catalans beat Sevilla 2-1 on Saturday (4 November).

Alcacer pounced on a defensive mistake to give Barca the lead over the Andalusians, and was in the right place at the right time to restore his side's lead in the second half after Guido Pizarro levelled the scores with a fine header.

His two-goal salvo helped Barcelona to maintain their four-point lead over second-placed Valencia and the eight-point gap between them and arch-rivals Real Madrid, who got back to winning ways against Las Palmas on Sunday, and Alcacer is hoping his performance will convince Valverde to give him more opportunities to prove he is worthy of a place at the Nou Camp.

"I am very clear about what I want, which is to stay at Barcelona, to keep working hard and to get better every day alongside Luis [Suarez] and Leo [Messi], who are the best forwards in the world and I learn a lot from them," Alcacer told beIN Sports, relayed by Sport.

"We are a big squad and there are players that have to be left out. You have to work hard to get in the team and take the opportunities you get."

"Personally, it's satisfying to score two and to help the team, because I don't play on my own and the team is the most important thing."

Alcacer's start against Sevilla was only his second in La Liga this season, with Valverde preferring to use Gerard Deulofeu and Andre Gomes in the wide positions in recent weeks. The former Valencia star's inclusion in the starting line-up came as something of a surprise, given that many thought he was destined to leave Barcelona in the winter transfer window, with Southampton one of the clubs said to be interested in his services.

It remains to be seen if his match-winning display against Sevilla was merely a flash in the pan, but he will hope he can build on his encouraging performance and further revive his career with the Catalan giants when they face Leganes after the international break.