Zinedine Zidane has reiterated his Real Madrid side will not give a guard of honour to league champions Barcelona in Sunday’s El Clasico.
The Frenchman referenced Madrid’s Club World Cup victory not being recognised by the Catalan giants and insisted that he and the club had already shown their respect and congratulations.
“We were not afforded the guard of honour after our Club World Cup win, it was not important,” Zidane told reporters at his pre-match press conference, as cited by Diario AS.
“They were in that competition too because you qualify for it via the Champions League, of which they were a part. It is the same principle as in La Liga.
“These guards of honour are about respect and I have shown them that, their double is fantastic, I congratulate them and that is the situation.
“Iniesta? I really admire him and he is not just an ordinary player. We know what he has achieved, the type of person he is. I must congratulate him for his achievements and wish him luck.
“Is winning La Liga more important than the Champions League? I have always said the league is more difficult, all trophies have importance.
“Will I rest players? No, if a player is not 100% fit they will not play, but that is always the case. If they are ready, they will play.
“Isco and Varane have had injury problems and I reiterate, if they are not fully fit they will not feature as we have other players who are.
“We feel we are in good shape, there is no fatigue. We are rested and ready to go.”