Winning will be huge ―Zidane

Zinedine Zidane says it would be a special achievement for Real Madrid and him personally to win a third successive Champions League.

Los Blancos made history last season by becoming the first team in the Champions League era to retain the European Cup and are now seeking a hat-trick in Kiev on May 26.

Liverpool will provide the opposition in Ukraine and Zidane is looking to match the achievements of one of the Reds’ great managers in Bob Paisley, who lead the Merseysiders to three European titles between 1976 and 1981.

Carlo Ancelotti has also landed three Champions League crowns and Zidane admits it would be a highlight of his short managerial career to join the mark set by two of the greats of the game.

However, the Frenchman has insisted he is putting his personal ambitions to one side in order to focus on making sure Real finish the job by retaining the Champions League.

‘It would be huge,’ he told reporters. ‘It would mean a lot of things. It would mean we have been doing our job well and that my message has been getting through to the players and the staff.

‘It’s great to start my managerial career at this level but for me the most important final of the Champions League is this one, not the last one. We have to give it everything.’

Punters might fancy using their free bet to back Real to get the better of Liverpool having comfortably seen off Juventus 4-1 in last year’s final.