Wednesday 25 April 2018 10:27, UK
Zinedine Zidane says there are no favourites when Real Madrid face Bayern Munich in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final first leg.
The two sides, both giants of the European game, meet each other in the first leg of their eagerly-anticipated last-four tie at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
Madrid, who are bidding for a 13th European crown and a third in succession, beat the Germans in last year's quarter-finals but coach Zidane insists that counts for nothing.
The Frenchman, speaking at a pre-match press conference, said: "I don't think there are any favourites. It's a semi-final - it's completely different to last season. It's a different match.
"We are in the semi-finals and we want to play a good game. We are prepared for that, knowing that we are going to have to suffer.
"We will need a big performance against a strong opponent. Bayern are a great club with great team spirit. I have no doubts that mentally we will be at 150 per cent."
Zidane says Real are relishing the challenge against Bayern as they return to the Allianz Arena, scene of a 2-1 win in the first leg of the quarter-finals last season.
He said: "The players like matches like this, even if we know we will have to suffer to get a win here.
"This is a team which has been fighting at this level for a long time, it's in the DNA of this club.
The Real coach also insisted that James Rodriguez, who is on loan at Bayern from Real, will have nothing to prove to him when the two sides meet.
"The only reason he went was that he wanted to play more football," said Zidane.
"I didn't want James to leave, he wanted more game time, which I can understand. I never had any problem with him, he just wanted to play.
"James loves to play football, so of course he'll want to do a good job - but not to show me or prove me wrong."
