Real Madrid not favourites against Juventus insists Zidane

Oli Fisher
Zinedine Zidane: Not sure what role - if any - he'll have at Real Madrid next season

Zinedine Zidane has admitted that he considers his Real Madrid side as the underdogs when they face Juventus in the Champions League final.

Real lost 2-1 away to Atletico Madrid this evening, but qualified for the final thanks to their 3-0 first leg win, meaning they face Juve in Cardiff on June 3.

“I have a team made up of strong players and everything we’ve done is thanks to them. We are happy to be in the Final again,” Zidane told Mediaset Premium.

Zidane spent five years at Juventus from 1996 to 2001 before making the move to Spain to play with Los Blancos.

“I became a man and a better player at Juve. It’s a great club. Facing them in the Final will be special, because I still have Juventus in my heart.

“It’ll be a wonderful Final, we’ve had a similar path and both teams deserve to be there. Now there’s time to prepare, but on Sunday we already have an important Liga game.”

Looking ahead to the Cardiff final, the Frenchman quickly squashed ideas that his side are favourites to win a 12th European Cup/Champions League title.

“Real Madrid are absolutely not the favourites. It’s very difficult to score against this Juve side,” noted Zidane.

“The defence isn’t their only strength, either. They have great players in attack, too.”