The latest installment of the famed El Clasico rivalry sees Barcelona lock horns with arch rivals Real Madrid at the Nou Camp on Sunday evening. The game is obviously a highly awaited one for fans and pundits alike but has been overshadowed with Real saying that they will not giving their arch rivals a “Pasillo”, or a guard of honour, ahead of this game. Deportivo gave one to Barcelona last weekend to recognise the Catalan outfit’s Copa del Rey triumph, and so did West Ham up north in England to newly crowned champions Manchester City.
Barcelona officially clinched the Spanish title with that 4-2 win over Super Depor last weekend, meaning that Real would be expected to give them a Pasillo. However coach Zinedine Zidane has ruled out any possibility of a guard of honour, pointing to Barca not giving them one back in December after Los Blancos had returned from the UAE with the Club World Cup. The “breaking of tradition”, as you’d expect hasn’t gone down well with both sets of supporters.
Real’s league ambitions are over, but they can still push Atleti for second place. A win at the Nou Camp will leave them one point behind Atleti with three to play. A loss will almost certainly extinguish their chances of finishing second and could also leave them vulnerable to a late surge from fourth place Valencia, who are up against Villarreal this weekend.
Real come into this game on the back of a tough Champions League semifinal clash against Bayern Munich. Karim Benzema was the hero for Real, with his double, including one from a horrendous Sven Ulreich mistake, helping them edge Jupp Heynckes’ side over two legs. Bayern were probably the better side, but Real, thanks to the splendid Keylor Navas in goal, did enough to keep the Bavarians at bay.
Barcelona have not lost a single league game this season. While Real cannot win the title, they will most definitely try to ensure that the Blaugrana don’t go the season undefeated. A lot will depend on the older football players in the Real side, with the likes of Ramos and Ronaldo expected to lead from the front. A Champions League triumph and a win at the Nou Camp would be an excellent end to the season for Real.
Real Madrid and Barcelona recent form
Real Madrid 2-2 Bayern Munich (Benzema*2)
Real Madrid 2-1 Leganes (Bale, Borja Mayoral)
Bayern Munich 1-2 Real Madrid (Marcelo, Marcos Asensio)
Real Madrid 1-1 Athletic Bilbao (Ronaldo)
Malaga 1-2 Real Madrid (Isco, Casemiro)
Deportivo 2-4 Barcelona (Coutinho, Messi*3)
Sevilla 0-5 Barcelona (Suarez*2, Messi, Iniesta, Coutinho pen)
Celta 2-2 Barcelona (Dembele, Alcacer)
Barcelona 2-1 Valencia (Suarez, Umtiti)
Roma 3-0 Barcelona
Last five El Clasico meetings- head 2 head
Real Madrid 0-3 Barcelona
Real Madrid 2-0 Barcelona
Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona
Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona
Game kicks off at 19.45 UK on Sunday