Lazio midfielder Lucas Leiva discussed tomorrow’s Champions League clash against Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund when speaking to gathered reporters in a press conference earlier today.
His words were noted by Italian media outlet La Lazio Siamo Noi.
We played well in the first leg, but tomorrow will be different. They are playing at home and it will be difficult.
If we play as we did in previous games, we have a great chance of winning. The team has shown a lot of desire and a perfect approach in the last four games, we must continue like this.
He touched on how disappointing it is to play in an empty stadium tomorrow, in one of his most important games in a Biancocelesti shirt.
Certainly, a full stadium would have been an extra motivation both for them and for us, we could have made the most of a beautiful stadium against a great team.
This is the new reality and we must try to find the motivation, but I don’t think the public would have made our life more difficult. When we played away from home with the public, we still had our motivation.
Finally, Leiva spoke about the disappointing performances in the league so far this season and how tomorrow must be better.
We care a lot about the league, against Udinese we did not have a great match, as well as against Sampdoria before the match against Dortmund. The team is mature and knows how to manage these games, but we can’t look for excuses.
We played badly on Sunday and I don’t think this comes from focusing on tomorrow’s game. We lost because we did not deserve it. Tomorrow we have another chance to start again and show our reaction. Facing Dortmund is the perfect opportunity.
The 33-year-old Leiva, who is contracted to Lazio until 2022, has made 10 appearances across all competitions so far this season, for a total of 646 minutes. In that time, he has provided one assist and helped the side keep two clean sheets.
The Biancocelesti are currently 2nd in their Champions League group after four games, one point behind group leaders Borussia Dortmund, sitting on eight points.
A win tomorrow against the Bundesliga outfit guarantees qualification to the next round of the competition, a huge achievement after a 13-year absence.
