We have prepared well and we are ready, says Zinedine Zidane ahead of derby clash

“I’m not thinking about Cardiff (the venue for the final) either. We have to win tomorrow’s game. We have prepared well and we are ready,” Zidane told media on Monday.

“Everyone is pumped up and we’re ready for the run-in. I wish the game would start now.”

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When asked if Los Blancos carry a psychological advantage over their opponents, having denied them victory multimple times in the past in the European competition, Zidane said that the past is irrelevant.

“It means nothing that we’ve beaten them in this competition.”

Despite Gareth Bale and Pepe missing the derby due to muscle and rib injuries respectively, defender Raphael Varane is set to return after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Isco, who is most likely to replace Bale in the Starting XI, remembered the previous clashes as few of the moments that he would never forget.

He described captain Sergio Ramos’ 93rd minute goal in the Champions League 2014 final as a really important goal that came at a key moment. “It still makes my hair stand up,” Isco told the club website. “It was a really important goal, when he scored it I knew we wouldn’t lose. It came at a key moment and I felt like I’d also scored the goal.”

Isco, who scored a brace in last week’s La Liga match against Sporting Gijon, said that Critiano Ronaldo’s winning goal last year was a moment that the penalty shootout was the most stressful moment of his entire career. “It’s the most stressful moment in my entire career,” he said. “In those moments I was in my own world, I only remember that when Ronaldo scored the winning goal we ran to embrace him and it’s a moment that I’ll never forget.”