Defensive strategy suicide against Bayern, says Cannavaro

MADRID, Mar 6 (Reuters) Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro has said his team are certain to be knocked out of the Champions League if they limit themselves to defending their first-leg advantage at Bayern Munich tomorrow.

''We have to score a goal against them,'' the Italy captain told sports daily Marca today. ''If we sit back we are dead.

Instead we've got to go for that goal and I wouldn't rule out the chance of us winning the match.'' Real roared into a 3-1 halftime lead against Bayern in the first leg at the Bernabeu, but a late strike from Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel threw the tie wide open once again.

The nine-times European champions need only a draw to progress to the quarter-finals, but their record in Munich is poor having lost seven of their previous eight encounters there and drawn just one.

But Cannavaro, who led Italy to triumph in the World Cup in Germany last year, believes the Spaniards can come away with a victory.

''Why can't we win in Munich? We have already shown that we are a team that wins a lot of games away from home,'' he said.

''It is in games like this when you see the true personality of the team. If we try and wait, let the clock run down and keep the score at 0-0 then we will go out. We have to have a winning mentality, be brave and go out there to win.'' Real, who eliminated Bayern on their way to winning the Champions League in both 2000 and 2002, will be without former England captain David Beckham and Spain winger Jose Antonio Reyes for tomorrow's match.

Both players will be sidelined for around a month after straining knee ligaments in Sunday's 1-1 draw at home to Getafe.

REUTERS PDS KP1840