It was one of the main talking points in the build-up to Sunday’s Clasico, and some Real Madrid players even made bets on it.

Of course it was a good natured argument in the Real dressing room and more of a diversion from the real issue that is the match and the objective of getting a victory to bring back to the Bernabeu.

The victory in the European Super Cup over Manchester United and especially the way it was brought about has boosted the confidence among the Real players. They achieved the aim of winning and playing well in a warm night in Skopje and now they are seeking more silverware.

The LaLiga, Champions League and European Super Cup trophies have only served to whet the appetite for more. They will take on Barcelona looking for a second trophy, whether there is a guard of honour or not.

But Barcelona did not ultimately give their visitors a guard of honour during sunday’s Supercopa.

Given that this was the first match for Los Blancos since they claimed the UEFA Super Cup by defeating Manchester United 2-1, the Blaugrana could have paid tribute to that success, as other teams have done in the past.

However, Ernesto Valverde’s players marched out onto the Camp Nou pitch at the same time as their Supercopa de Espana rivals.

Culled from Marca