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#4 Guard of honour dispute
Probably one of the most heated debates prior to tonight's contest evolved around whether Real Madrid should perform the 'guard of honour' for the new Spanish champions. However, what has become a custom in many of Europe's top leagues will not be seen at the Camp Nou.
Towards Spanish football magazine Marca, Zidane only recently confirmed that his side will not give a guard of honour. However, he did add that it was not due to lack of respect, but due to the Catalan side's failure to do the same for Real Madrid after they won the FIFA Club World Cup:
"I'm not the one who decides that I don't want to give a guard of honour, they didn't do one. With respect, we won't do it because they didn't do it. What's most important is that we respect what Barcelona have done, winning the league is the most beautiful and difficult thing for me." - Zinedine Zidane
When confronted with Zidane's stance, Barcelona's Gerard Pique sarcasticly replied, that he "is not going to sleep" because of this.
Also read: El Clasico's guard of honour - Looking back on a 'broken tradition'
No matter how you twist and turn this affair, neither side helped their reputation during this seemingly endless argument that questioned the respect the teams have for each other. For Real Madrid this has to be an added incentive to come to Barcelona with all guns blazing.
Should Los Blancos underperform, it could make them look ridiculous under the light of this discussion. Therefore, we can expect a strong showing from a team desperate to prove to the world, that they are still the best team in Spain.
