Gomez says Bayern will play to win in Madrid
Bayern Munich will play to win at Real Madrid despite seven players being under threat of suspension for the final should the German club advance, striker Mario Gomez promised on Monday.
Gomez says his teammates will not hold back although some of them may miss the final in their own stadium if they pick up another booking. Bayern holds a 2-1 advantage ahead of Wednesday's return leg in Madrid.
''The yellow cards should not play a role, everyone will give his best,'' the Germany striker said. ''We don't play to draw, that's not our thing. If we play like we did at home, we'll make it. We have a team that can win.''
Seven Bayern players have yellow cards and another booking would rule them out of the final.
They are defenders Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Jerome Boateng and David Alaba, as well as midfielders Toni Kroos, Luiz Gustavo and Thomas Mueller.
Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes said he was not concerned about the cards.
''We already had five players with yellow cards before the first leg and we saw that they can deal with it,'' Heynckes said. ''It's a matter of being careful, that you are absolutely concentrated on the match. It shouldn't play any role. We must not hold back.''
Bayern is seeking to become the first team to play the Champions League final in its own stadium. Barcelona and Chelsea contest the other semifinal, with Chelsea holding a 1-0 lead. The final is May 19 at the Allianz Arena.
''We have to call up on all resources,'' Heynckes said about Wednesday's match. ''Then we have a great chance of reaching the final. We know we have to score one or two goals. And we can do it, we have excellent forwards.''