Zinedine Zidane is backing Real Madrid to beat Bayern Munich and reach the Champions League final.

Madrid’s second leg against Bayern on Wednesday evening is finely poised following a 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena last week.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side, who have not lost a Champions League knockout game at home in four years, are favourites to progress to the final where they will play either Borussia Dortmund or Paris Saint-Germain.

And Zidane, who has won the Champions League with Madrid once as a player and three times as manager, believes his former club will beat Bayern.

‘I hope Madrid wins but it is going to be a difficult and complicated match,’ Zidane told Sky Germany at the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.

Zidane has not managed a club since leaving Real Madrid in May 2021 and was linked with a surprise move to Bayern last month.

Bayern are still looking to replace Thomas Tuchel at the end of the season but have been hit with several setbacks in their hunt for a new head coach with Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann and Ralf Rangnick all rejecting the position.

When asked if he will manage Bayern in the future, Zidane replied with a smile: ‘I am going to watch the game, thanks.’