Bayer Leverkusen v Lazio – Preview: Lazio without four key players in second leg battle for Champions League spot

Date: 24th August 2015 at 2:00pm
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Lazio face Bayer Leverkusen in Germany in the second leg of the Champions League playoff with a place in the group stages at stake.

Lazio won the first leg in Rome 1-0 thanks to a marvellous goal by substitute striker Keita Balde. It was the first time that Lazio have managed to beat Bayer Leverkusen in their history.

The Italian side also won the first match of their Serie A campaign with a 2-1  win against newly promoted Bologna on Saturday night. First half goals from Lucas Biglia and Ricardo Kishna proved to be enough despite Matteo Mancosu’s late goal for the guests.

Stefano Pioli, however, saw his captain Biglia stretched off the pitch. The Argentinian international suffered a calf injury at the beginning of the second half on Saturday and is out for the next month.

Biglia is not the only high profile player out for Lazio ahead of the second leg. Goalkeeper Federico Marchetti and striker Filip Djordjevic were already ruled out with injuries before the first leg, while German legend Miroslav Klose suffered an hamstring injury during the match against the Germans at the Olimpico. None of them are expected to recover in time to face Leverkusen.

Keita Balde is once again expected to start up front, while one of Danilo Cataldi and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic will replace Biglia in the centre of the park.

Bayer Leverkusen also have injury problems with the shock injury of new signing Charles Aranguiz, who suffered achilles tendon rupture during training. While former Roma defender Tim Jedvej is also out injured.

Roger Schimdt’s men have won their two first two games in the Bundesliga and are joint top of the league along with Bayern Munich.

Expected Starting XIs

Bayer Leverkusen: Leno; Hilbert, Papadopoulos, Tah, Wendell; Kramer, Bender; Bellarabi, Calhanoglu, Mehmedi; Kiessling.

Lazio: Berisha; Basta, De Vrij, Gentiletti, Radu; Parolo, Lulic, Cataldi; Candreva, Keita, Felipe Anderson.

 

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