Barcelona could force Real Madrid into guard of honor at Camp Nou during El Clasico | OneFootball

Following a weekend where Real Madrid stumbled against Girona, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona has surged into a commanding nine-point lead at the summit of La Liga.

With only seven matches remaining, the title is now firmly within reach for the Blaugrana, setting the stage for a potentially historic and humiliating moment for the visitors in the upcoming Clasico.

The mathematical path to the “Pasillo”

The math is increasingly simple: if Barcelona continues their ruthless form and mathematically secures the league title before Real Madrid visits the Camp Nou, tradition dictates that the away side must perform the “pasillo,” or guard of honour, reports MARCA.

This would mark quite a significant sentimental victory for the Cules. It would mark the first time since 1988 that either Real Madrid or Barcelona would have been forced to applaud the other team at Camp Nou.

Can Barcelona force Real Madrid to a guard of honour? (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

However, the gesture is far from guaranteed. The last time this scenario appeared in 2018, Zinedine Zidane famously scrapped the tradition.

The Frenchman claimed that because Barcelona hadn’t given Madrid a guard of honour after their Club World Cup win, the “chain was broken.”

Since then, the pasillo has become a political lightning rod in Spanish football.

Under Hansi Flick, Barcelona have played with a verticality and dominance that has left Madrid seven, and now nine, points adrift.

For a squad that has spent the season breaking records and implementing a fearless high defensive line, forcing their biggest rival into a public display of respect would be the perfect coronation for the team.

The mission now, therefore, is damage control, as far as Real Madrid are concerned. They are no longer fighting for a trophy that is slipping away fast, but are also looking to avoid giving their fiercest rival a guard of honour in their own stadium.