Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said his team will go out to win Wednesday's Champions League final Group F game at home to Borussia Dortmund and not worry about potential permutations of finishing first or second in the group.
Madrid go into the game at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu already qualified for the round of 16, but they must beat current Group F leaders Dortmund to top the final standings and be seeded for the next round.
Some pundits have looked at this year's other groups and pointed out that big clubs including Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Juventus or Paris Saint-Germain could also be unseeded in the round of 16, so it might make sense for the La Liga giants to allow Dortmund to go through as group winners.
But the Blancos coach told his prematch news conference that he and his players would not be second-guessing anything and would just aim to go out and win Wednesday's game and top the group.
"This is a final, a group final," Zidane said. "We're at home, we want to play a great game. That's the only thing we're thinking about. We are not going to do calculations, not look at first or second. Our objective is to always try and win the game, to finish first in the group. Being first is a sign that we are working well."
Zidane said he had no new fitness issues ahead of the game, and that recently injured players Alvaro Morata, Toni Kroos, Fabio Coentrao and Danilo could all be ready to feature in his match squad.
"The others are all working with us, apart from Gareth [Bale]," he said. "They are all available for the team. We will see tomorrow who will play."
The match also gives Zidane's side a chance to match the club record of 34 unbeaten games in all competitions set in 1988-89 if they avoid defeat against the Bundesliga outfit on Wednesday.
Asked for the secret for such consistency, the Frenchman pointed to the professionalism and ambition of players most of whom had already won plenty over their careers.
"The team is what it is," Zidane said. "What stands out is their work, what each one does. They are very professional, with experience, and they are hungry. They have won a lot, but they always want to win more. That is a good thing for me."
The one cloud over the Bernabeu at the moment is the situation of James Rodriguez, who remained on the bench through Saturday's 1-1 La Liga Clasico draw at Barcelona, and then reportedly worked out on his own after the squad arrived back at Madrid's training ground late that evening.
"For me that is not important -- many players train after a game when we get back," Zidane said. "I admire James and I have the same relationship with him as with the others. Nothing has changed. For me it is a problem, true, as he wants to play more and has not played much lately. But I am going to need all the group, and he is an important player for the team."
Asked directly if James would be allowed to leave should the Colombia international request a move, Zidane preferred not to respond.
"I'd rather not answer the question, as I would have to say nonsense and don't want to do that," he said.