'Mockery attempt' - Atletico Madrid snub guard of honour for rivals and La Liga champions Real Madrid

Atletico Madrid have strongly refused to perform a guard of honour for their rivals and newly crowned La Liga champions Real Madrid when the teams meet for the Madrid derby in the Spanish capital on Sunday. Real, who are bidding to reach the Champions League final on Wednesday night, secured the La Liga title with a clinical 4-0 victory over Espanyol last weekend, which retrieved the title from the clutches of their cross-city rivals, Atletico.

Ad/> In the Premier League, teams will often form a guard of honour for the league champions however, and whilst it has occasionally been seen in Spain Atletico have vehemently refused to take part in this custom when Diego Simeone's side welcome Carlo Ancelotti's men to the Wanda Metropolitano. Champions League'The only criticism we can get' — De Bruyne on City's Champions League chase6 HOURS AGO Some of Atletico's players have voiced their opinions on the matter.

Defender Jose Gimenez wasn't shy in explaining their reasoning behind the decision with the pain of conceding the title to their arch-rivals likely to be very raw. /> Goalkeeper Jan Oblak was largely in agreement with his team-mate, but admitted the players would likely adhere to whatever the club decided as a collective ahead of the crunch clash on Sunday.