Podolski out to make amends against Barça

Lukas Podolski aims to banish the memories of Saturday's 5-1 loss to VfL Wolfsburg by inspiring FC Bayern München to victory against boyhood idols FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals first leg.

Wolfsburg woe
The 23-year-old played the full game as Wolfsburg inflicted the Bavarian club's heaviest defeat of the season. Wednesday's encounter at Camp Nou offers Bayern an immediate chance to respond and the German international is raring to go. "I have been a big Barcelona fan for many years although there will be no mercy from my side on Wednesday," he told uefa.com. "We head to Barcelona to get at least a draw. The best way to forget about [the 5-1 loss] is to play well against Barcelona. That is my goal."

Favourite players
Aside from his former club, 1. FC Köln, Podolski admits he has always been captivated by the Catalan side. "Years ago there were two clubs I loved – Köln and Barcelona. I remember when Barça had brilliant players like Hristo Stoichkov, Rivaldo and Romario. Playing at school I wanted to be the new Rivaldo; I even called myself that. Every kid has his idols and Rivaldo was one of mine."

'Broke down'
The Wolfsburg defeat ended a run of four consecutive victories in all competitions and Podolski is at a loss as to what went wrong. "It is really difficult to explain what happened," he said. "We played quite well in the first half. Even when we conceded the first goal we responded very quickly. In the second half we were like a machine which broke down. Why? I have no idea, but, one thing I do know, is that the best method of recovery is to play well against Barcelona."

Warning
While acknowledging Barcelona's sparkling form at home and abroad this season, Podolski says it would be a big mistake to dismiss Bayern's chances of progressing to a semi-final against Liverpool FC or Chelsea FC. "Everybody knows how good they are, but, on the other hand, everybody should remember that Bayern have not lost in the Champions League this year. We feel great playing in this competition and don't want to be written off before the game – it would be a big mistake. We may be playing against giants but we are giants too. We are going there to play well. What would a good result for us be in Barcelona? Of course we want to win but a draw is the minimum."