​Marca: El Clásico Becomes Real Madrid's Last Redemption; Will Madrid Form a Guard of Honour Remains Uncertain

April 12 – After this round of La Liga fixtures, Barcelona have extended their lead over Real Madrid to nine points. With only seven matches remaining, the title increasingly appears to be a matter of time for Barça. Spanish media *Marca* notes that when Real Madrid next step onto the Camp Nou pitch next month, they will no longer be greeted by a clash of two titans at their peak, but rather a difficult "redemption" for their last shred of dignity.

Álvaro Arbeloa's side is witnessing their season crumble piece by piece: elimination from the Copa del Rey, a home defeat in the first leg of their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich, and trailing by nine points at the top of the league table. This once-dominant side now has no room left to retreat. The El Clásico on May 10 is destined to be a "final" that decides the fate of their season.

Before the Clásico, three rounds of La Liga remain. Barcelona will face Celta Vigo, Getafe, and Osasuna, while Real Madrid will take on Alavés, Real Betis, and Espanyol.

If both teams win all three of their upcoming matches, the nine-point gap will remain. This means that if Barcelona beat Real Madrid at home, they will be crowned La Liga champions on the spot. In a more extreme scenario, if Real Madrid drop any points in their next three matches, allowing Barcelona to extend their lead even further, Barça could already have secured the trophy before Madrid even set foot in Camp Nou.

If Hansi Flick's side have already clinched the title, Real Madrid will face a dilemma: should they form a guard of honour for their fierce rivals at the Camp Nou?

Back in 1988, Barcelona formed a guard of honour for Real Madrid's legendary "Quinta del Buitre" after they had won the league. However, when the roles were reversed in 2018, Zinedine Zidane famously said: "We will not do a guard of honour. That's my decision."

In truth, Real Madrid's season has been unravelling since losing the Super Cup at the beginning of the year. Now, overturning their deficit against Bayern Munich in Europe looks extremely difficult, and the league crown is all but lost. For Real Madrid, the Clásico on May 10 is not only a chance to salvage some pride, but also their final struggle in an otherwise fractured season.

Source: Marca