MADRID, May 7

Manager Carlo Ancelotti urged Real Madrid to play with more pace and intensity if they want to keep alive their hopes of securing the La Liga-European Cup double by beating Bayern Munich in the return leg of their Champions League semifinal tomorrow.

0 Bayern come to the Spanish capital without a win in seven away games against Real — with six losses and a draw

Real wrapped up the La Liga title over the weekend with four matches to spare but that has not stopped Ancelotti from being extremely critical of his team’s performance in their 2-2 draw in the first leg of the Champions League semis in Germany.

He has warned his players that they cannot afford another sub-par performance if they want to contest the June 1 final at Wembley Stadium.

“We need a match with intensity, with pace… Looking at the first leg, defensively we could have done a lot more,” Ancelotti told a press conference today, insisting that his side cannot afford to underestimate the challenge posed by Bayern despite the German side’s disappointing domestic campaign.

Bayer Leverkusen ended Bayern’s 11-year Bundesliga reign by securing the league crown last month but Ancelotti said the six-time European Cup winners will have extra motivation to win the only trophy they can still fight for this season. “We are very excited because it could be another magical night for us, but there is no optimism. We are aware of the difficulties that we are going to face.” — Reuters