Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina admits his Barcelona background has him desperate to defeat Champions League opponents Real Madrid this week.

"I was a Barcelona fan because it was my dad's team, so it would be really special for me to help eliminate Real from there Champions League," Reina said.

"They are one of the world's greatest clubs, so defeat would be no shame. But we are not thinking like that, we will be doing our utmost to make sure that doesn't happen.

"And I am confident we will reach the quarter-finals. The competition has been very good for us in recent years, and we want that run to continue.

"Every player dreams about playing in the biggest games at the best grounds and this is certainly one of those.

"I have plenty of friends at Real, like Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas. We are all close, but that does not stop me wanting to make sure Liverpool go through to the next round."