EUROZONE MESSI’S NOT A GOLDEN SHOE-IN
Salah has Barca star running scared in Euro goal race
Barcelona v Real Madrid Tonight, 7.45pm
today’s El Clasico at the Nou Camp. Argentine FA bosses were hoping that his minutes on the pitch would be limited in games against Villarreal, Levante and Real Sociedad.
But the 31-year-old has set his heart on becoming the first player to win the European Golden Shoe five times.
Lazio’s Ciro Immobile is third in the battle, with 29 goals and three Serie A fixtures still to play. But Messi can forget about a traditional champions’ reception from Real this evening.
Real chief Zinedine Zidane insists the club will play no part in the customary guard of honour for the La Liga champions after Barca refused to do likewise when Real returned from the UAE as Club World Cup winners in December.
“After the Club World Cup they didn’t want to do it for us,’’ Zidane said. “They might have said they didn’t do it because they weren’t in the competition, but that’s not true.
“You’ve got to win the Champions League to play in it and we’re both in the Champions League.
“It’s not up to me to decide about the guard of honour but they didn’t do it. We, with respect, won’t do it for them because they didn’t.
“We respect what Barca have done in winning the league, which for me is the most difficult and nicest thing you can do. But these things happen; if they’d have given us one, we weren’t going to break the tradition of doing so.’’
Real, third in the table and heading for the Champions League final against Liverpool in Kiev on May 26, are expected to be at full-strength for today’s El Clasico.
“While the game won’t change the league positions, we still want to play well and do everything we can to win,” Zidane said. SUNDAY