Real won’t relax in battle for top spot, says Zidane

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pulled one back for the visitors in the 60th minute, before setting up Marco Reus to score the equaliser with two minutes remaining.

Real were in a state of upheaval when they watched Barcelona stroll to a 3-0 win over River Plate in last year’s final, having been expelled from their domestic cup competition for fielding an ineligible player and with coach Rafael Benitez on the brink of being sacked.

“I would say the worst to get is Juve – for two reasons”.

Both teams were already assured of advancing to the Round of 16 before the final group matches and Monaco fielded a youthful side missing many regulars. “The group is probably fair with us second and them first”.

Madrid nonetheless stretched their unbeaten run to 34 games in all competitions, matching a club record set back in 1988-89, and Zidane paid credit to the hard work of his players and support of their fans.

However, the Frenchman refused to take credit despite inspiring a huge turnaround in fortunes for the Spanish giants since taking his first senior managerial role in January.

“The players have to be congratulated”.

Despite the absence of Welsh forward Gareth Bale, one of the stars in manager Zinedine Zidane’s squad, the Spanish side will arrive at the tournament with an extraordinary unbeaten run and a comfortable lead in La Liga. They will know on Monday which team they will face in the round of 16.

“And everyone around the club”. Benfica, Porto and Sevilla are their other potential opponents.

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, right, controls the ball during the Champions League, Group F, soccer match between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016.

“He is not 100 percent, we have to bear that in mind”, Tuchel said at his press conference on Tuesday.

Zidane will also be pondering whether to give Casemiro a start in central midfield after only two appearances as a substitute in recent matches.

“We’ve been conceding too many goals of late. In the end it was well-deserved for them (Dortmund) for what they have done so far”.

A team that finishes top of its group will be drawn against a runner-up when the knockout stage begins – which usually offers a clear advantage.

When Real responded a flowing move ended with Roman Weidenfeller keeping out Karim Benzema’s effort before the Dortmund goalkeeper had to claim Dani Carvajal’s teasing cross.