Just four months after bidding farewell to Bayern, Lukas Podolski returns to Munich on Saturday with his beloved FC Köln – and the striker has set his sights high for the Allianz Arena clash. “It’s a tough one for us, but we’re intending to give a good account of ourselves in Munich and take all three points if we can,” the player declared prior to “a very special game for me personally.”
Poldi spent three seasons in Bavaria, winning the domestic cup and league double in 2008. But the lure of home was always strong, and he returned to the Rhineland last summer. “Köln is my home town. I know all about the city. And your home is your home, whichever way you look at it,” the Germany striker mused.
“I tested myself against the best players in the world when I was in Munich, and I developed as a player. I have lots of friends there, and I’m looking forward to seeing them again,” Podolski continued. His goal at the present time is to help Köln escape from a tricky situation in the table, as the Cologne outfit are second from bottom on just four points from seven games. “We’ll do whatever we can to get out of the drop zone as soon as we can,” he promised.
In the corresponding fixture last season, a surprise 2-1 win for the men from Cologne on Munich turf, Podolski made a comeback for Bayern following a long injury lay-off. “Köln won in Munich last year – and it could happen again,” Podolski insisted. Should history repeat itself, the child of the Rhineland knows where he would celebrate: “Bayern have a tradition of a team visit to the Oktoberfest. If we take the points, I’m sure something will occur to our coach. They’d definitely let us in wearing our Köln training gear.”
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