Barcelona Should Get Guard Of Honor From Real Madrid, Jordi Alba Says

Barcelona defender Jordi Alba believes his side should be given a guard of honor when Real Madrid visit the Nou Camp for El Clasico this weekend.

Ernesto Valverde's men sealed a third La Liga title in four seasons with four games remaining following their 4-2 win against Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday that saw Lionel Messi grab a hattrick and take his league tally for the season to 32 goals.

Before the game, Barcelona were given a guard of honor by the home side but the attention now switches to whether Madrid will give them one when they face each other this Sunday.

A guard of honor — where the receiving team is paid tribute by the lined up opposing team — is traditionally given to the newly crowned champions the following game after their league triumph is confirmed.

In the English Premier League, it is very common, however, in La Liga, it is a controversial issue. Barcelona notably gave Real Madrid a guard of honor in 2008 but recently refused to give one following Zinedine Zidane's side's win in the Club World Cup in December last year.

As a result, Zidane previously said Madrid would not give Barcelona one if they were crowned champions before their El Clasico meeting but Alba believes it is only fair that the champions are given a guard of honor because they both compete in the league, unlike the Club World Cup.

"It's not a decision we take, everyone has respect for those who want to," Alba told reporters, as per FourFourTwo. "The Club World Cup was a competition we didn't play in. At the [Santiago] Bernabeu, in the league, we have previously performed a guard of honour."

"If they don't want to give us a guard of honour it will be because it comes from upstairs [management]," he added.

Valverde's debut season as manager sees him complete just the club's eight-ever double, having guided Barcelona to a Copa del Rey triumph as well when they emphatically defeated Sevilla in a 5-0 win last weekend.

However, given the standards of the club, it is still a disappointing season, especially given the manner of their Champions League quarterfinal exit to Roma that saw them surrender a 4-1 first leg lead to lose their second leg 3-0 on away goals.

While Alba acknowledges the embarrassing Champions League exit, he says everyone at the club would have taken a double in Valverde's first season at the helm.

"It's an embarrassment, the players have to show our faces, we all make mistakes," Alba said of the Champions League exit. "Valverde deserves it [the double] more than anyone, he's the sixth coach to have won a double. He's managed the dressing room perfectly."

"[The double] has only been done eight times in Barcelona's history and we have to be very happy. Everyone would have taken it, although we know that in the Champions League we were knocked out badly. The double has been won eight times and the club was founded ages ago," Alba added.