Antonio Candreva said Lazio are determined to reach the Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen and ignored captain controversy.
The Aquile won the first leg of their play-off 1-0 and visit Germany for the decider tomorrow at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).
“There is more intensity in the European games and Bayer pressed us harder than we are perhaps accustomed to,” confessed Candreva in a Press conference.
Antonio Candreva said Lazio are determined to reach the Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen and ignored captain controversy.
The Aquile won the first leg of their play-off 1-0 and visit Germany for the decider tomorrow at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).
“There is more intensity in the European games and Bayer pressed us harder than we are perhaps accustomed to,” confessed Candreva in a Press conference.
“They don’t leave you much space and on an international level you have got to take the few scoring opportunities that you are allowed.
“The first leg taught us something about our opponents, made us aware of where we can hurt them and they can hurt us. It’ll be a battle and the most important night for all of us.
“I have never played in the Champions League proper and obviously I really want to reach this level. When I arrived at Lazio, I found maturity and consistency in my game. I became aware of my capabilities, which is perhaps the most important step for a player.”
Candreva had been the Lazio captain, but the armband was given to Lucas Biglia. Now that the Argentine is injured, how will it feel to wear it again?
“The issue of captaincy is a closed book, as all I care about is what happens on the pitch. I want to play in this very important tournament and help Lazio get there. We sacrificed so much to reach this play-off and we all deserve to be there.
“I can only tell the young players to stay calm and put all they’ve got on to the pitch. There is a lot of responsibility wearing the Lazio jersey, even more so in an international fixture, but so much enthusiasm too.”