Account
Barcelona Will Not Give Real Madrid a Guard of Honour Before El Clasico
December 18, 2017
Barcelona director of institutional relations Guillermo Amor has confirmed the Catalans will not give Real Madrid a guard of honour before El Clasico on Saturday despite Los Blancos recently being crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions.
He explained that Barcelona only provide a guard of honour in cases where they have also been involved in the competition, per Marca.
He said: "In this club, the guard of honour is usually made when we participate in the Champions League or La Liga...and this is not the case."
Real were the only European club involved in the Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates after they won the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League.
The Madrid outfit edged past Al Jazira in the semi-finals before Cristiano Ronaldo netted the only goal in Saturday's final to see Real to a 1-0 victory over Brazilian side Gremio.
Per MailOnline's Adam Shergold, Ronaldo, 32, said after the match at Abu Dhabi's Zayed Sports City Stadium: "It would be nice, and I would like Barcelona to make for us the guard of honour."
Real are the La Liga champions, but they trail leaders Barca by 11 points in the Spanish top flight having played one game fewer.
As such, Saturday's clash between the two clubs at the Santiago Bernabeu is a must-win game for the hosts.
Zinedine Zidane's side beat Barca home and away in the Spanish Super Cup in August, but they will meet a team on Saturday much higher on confidence, per Goal:
Ernesto Valverde's Barcelona have not lost a match since the Super Cup, a run stretching to 24 games unbeaten in all competitions.
In their final game before El Clasico they beat Deportivo La Coruna 4-0 at the Camp Nou on Sunday, with Luis Suarez and Paulinho both netting twice.