Valverde: Madrid not disrespectful

Ernesto Valverde insists Real Madrid are not disrespecting Barcelona with no guard of honour but warns ‘we don’t want them to win’ the Clasico.

Little is riding on Sunday’s showdown, with Barca having already clinched the Liga title and Madrid due to contest the Champions League Final, but Valverde made it clear it was ‘important’ the Catalans ended the campaign unbeaten and did not let Los Blancos triumph.

“It’s an important match,” the Coach said at a Press conference.

“Luckily we’re already champions, but there are enough incentives on the pitch for what it means to our fans and theirs.

“These are three important points because we don’t want them to win. I’d like all Clasicos to be like this, with the League won.

“Guard of honour? As much as it’s being talked about, it’s not particularly important. I don’t consider them not doing one a sign of disrespect.

“La Liga is the competition that tells you how you’re doing over the course of a season. Ultimately the best team win it.

“Other factors come into the Champions League. You can’t have a bad game and you must know how to compete.

“Tomorrow we’ll be facing a team who know how to compete very well. You also need luck in the Champions League.

“Iniesta? I don’t know if he’s going to play, but I hope he will. He did some light training on Friday and I’ll talk to him to see how he feels.

“He told me a month or a month and a half ago [that he was leaving]. When the person who tells you is experienced like he is, you can’t try to convince them because Andres thought about it for a long time. I didn’t try to convince him or tell him to think it through.

“Ending a League campaign without losing seems very difficult in this day and age, but I have no doubt that we’ll see the best Madrid on Sunday. Let the best team win.”

Tags Andres Iniesta Clasico Ernesto Valverde
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