Madrid: Real Madrid's Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro said his side should try and emulate Chelsea when they take on unbeaten Primera Liga leaders and arch-rivals Barcelona in the Bernabeu on Sunday.
Chelsea defeated the European champions 1-0 at home in the Champions League on Wednesday, and could have inflicted a heavier defeat playing on the break in the second half.
"Chelsea were stronger than Barcelona. They showed more commitment and belief when going for the ball. We need to play like them to beat Barca," Cannavaro said on Thursday.
The last time Frank Rijkaard's side visited Madrid they produced a superb display to sink Real 3-0, and to make matters worse the home fans then stood and applauded Ronaldinho after he scored the third.
This time round Barcelona are missing leading striker Samuel Eto'o, who is out with a long-term knee injury, but Cannavaro said there were still plenty of other dangermen in the Barca squad.
"They still have the likes of Eidur Gudjohnsen, Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho who can score goals," Cannavaro added.
"We know all about Ronaldinho, he is a phenomenal player. I don't know how you stop him. When your rival has a forward like that you simply have to cross yourself and hope for the best."
Real's tails are up after a remarkable transformation over the last few days. They slipped to their first league defeat of the season with a miserable 1-0 loss away to Getafe last Saturday, which drew widespread criticism.
But then they put in one of their strongest performances with a 4-1 win away to Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League on Tuesday.
"There is a greater incentive in Europe than in the league. This is something we have to put right so that we can gain some consistency. He you can't have so many ups and downs if you want to win things," Cannavaro said. Real are fifth in the standings, five points behind Barca.
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