Zinedine Zidane refused to be drawn into a war of words with Gerard Pique after the Barcelona defender aimed a jibe at the quality of their Champions League victory last season.

Madrid became 11-time champions of Europe by beating LaLiga and city rivals Atletico Madrid in a penalty shootout in May's final in Milan.

However, when asked about Madrid's triumph on Twitter, Pique – who has a well-documented history of stoking the flames of the Clasico rivalry – responded: "An easy group. In the last 16, Italy's third [placed team]. In the quarters, Germany's eighth [placed team]. In the semis, England's fourth [placed team]. Return leg at home."

But Madrid head coach Zidane laughed off Pique's post.

"He has his view, his opinion," he said. "We won the Champions League, we battled hard, it was tough.

"Over the course of a Champions League it's very demanding. He said they won the league and are the best team in Spain. If you win the league you have got the right to say that.

"It's a new season. It's not just Barca and Madrid, there are lots of teams in the hunt. We will prepare well and hopefully this year it will change."