Zinedine Zidane was hired as Real Madrid's answer to Pep Guardiola... he has the Champions League winning know-how to provide the Undecima against Atletico

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Real Madrid president Florentino Perez prayed Zinedine Zidane would be their version of Pep Guardiola and this year the Frenchman has gone one further than the Barcelona legend he was supposed to replicate.

While Guardiola’s Bayern Munich were knocked-out in the Champions League semi-finals for the third season running, Zidane has steered Madrid to Milan, setting up a derby date with bitter rivals Atletico.

It's a repeat of the 2014 final, which Madrid won after extra-time, under the steady hand of Carlo Ancelotti—with Zidane beside him, on the bench as his assistant.

Zinedine Zidane watches on during Real Madrid's clash with Manchester City on Wednesday night

The Frenchman took charge of the club in January and has taken them to the Champions League final already

He’s a man who knows what it takes to lift this trophy, while his opponent on the away bench, Manuel Pellegrini, was sacked after just one season at Madrid.

Champions League winning know-how is an intangible substance, but one which is worth its weight in gold.

The team Manchester City beat in the quarter-finals, PSG, don’t have it either, but Madrid do, in spades—from Sergio Ramos to Cristiano Ronaldo to Zidane himself.

The Frenchman lifted the trophy in 2002 as a Madrid player, before again as Ancelotti’s sidekick, and potentially, now, later this month.

'It’s very different,' said Zidane after the game, when asked to compare his work as a player and as a manager. 'I suffer a lot more on the sidelines. It’s a different tension.

'I am happy with what we have achieved and to be at the head of this great club. The club gave me the chance to train this team and the most important thing now is to win.'

Zidane was hired as Real Madrid's answer to Pep Guardiola following his initial success at Barcelona

Zidane is mobbed by Real Madrid staff and players following the 1-0 victory over Manchester City

Some claim Madrid have been lucky with draws on the way to the final. Certainly, Roma, Wolfsburg, and Man City aren't nightmare ties, while on the other side Atletico, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Juventus all coincided.

But they can only beat whoever is put in front of them, and have duly done so. It's not as if Madrid are impotent against bigger sides either—they saw off Barcelona at Camp Nou in April’s Clasico.

Madrid's historic comeback against Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals, winning 3-0 in the second leg after losing 2-0 away, bought Zidane time and patience from the fans, and with every passing week, his side look stronger. So does his position.

Now he looks set to lead them into the new season, regardless of what happens in the final, although the pressure to lift their 11th European Cup will be huge—the undecima.

Gareth Bale celebrates after Fernando's own goal settled the tie after the first leg had ended goalless

Zidane issues instructions to Cristiano Ronaldo on the touchline during the semi-final second leg

Although Gareth Bale was sad to see Rafa Benitez, who backed him to the hilt, leave the club, he has found his best form in Spain under Zidane. It was Bale who forced the opener, with his cross-shot deflected past Joe Hart by Fernando.

Bale has inspired Madrid in recent games while Cristiano Ronaldo sat out injured, scoring winners against Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad, to keep Madrid in the hunt for the Spanish title.

Ronaldo too, is looking much more like himself than under Benitez. He never liked the Spanish coach, so different to the gentle touch of Ancelotti, and Zidane has found the right balance.

Others, like Casemiro and Lucas Vazquez have benefitted too, while Isco and James Rodriguez are having to fight for their places, something that shows everybody else in the squad that anything below 100 per cent effort is not an option.

Isco jumped onto his coach’s shoulders as the Santiago Bernabeu exploded in delight at full-time, showing that despite the tough love he’s been shown, there are no grudges against Zidane like there were with Benitez.

Madrid don't necessarily have a coherent and consistent strategy. They are still picking things up as they go under Zidane, but they are learning from their mistakes.

Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid lie in wait in the final in a repeat of their 2014 showdown in Lisbon

Zidane is learning too - he admitted before the game that he had ordered looser suit trousers after two recent wardrobe malfunctions.

He has an outstanding record as Madrid coach so far, losing just two games out of 23, with three draws.

The defeats came in the derby, against Atletico at home - a hugely disappointing showing but understandable considering it was early in Zidane's managerial career and against the cunning Diego Simeone - and away at Wolfsburg, a result they rectified.

Guardiola won a treble in his first season at Barcelona, but considering Zidane only started in January with Madrid stumbling, winning anything at all would be a glorious bonus, before he has a real crack of the whip next season.

The main problem now is working out how he can get the better of Simeone in their second match-up. Zidane was outsmarted on the first occasion, a 1-0 defeat. But then he has that intangible Champions League know-how, while all Atletico know about the final is defeat.

Atletico have lost two Champions League finals, from two appearances. Real Madrid have won the competition 10 times. Making it 11 under Zidane would see president Perez’s gamble turn into vision.

‘There are no favourites, like always,’ insisted Zidane. ‘It's a final with two teams that deserve to be there. When the final starts it's 50-50.’

But the coach did not want to think about it for long. ‘This is a day to enjoy and above all, enjoy it with the fans,’ he added. ‘We haven't achieved anything yet.’