Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane says he's always rated Real Sociedad midfielder Asier Illarramendi.

The former Madrid player has been impressive for La Real and will face his old club today.

Zidane said: "There's a lot of pressure on you at Real Madrid.

"He was expected to do better than he did and he's now at ease and you can see that out on the pitch. He didn't do badly here, although he might have done better. He's a great player and is doing fantastically well at the moment."