Reja aiming for Champions League berth

25 October 2011 17:47

Lazio coach Edy Reja says he is aiming for a Champions League place this season after guiding his team to second in the Serie A table following three straight wins.

Lazio finished fifth last season and just missed out on Europe's premier club competition.

Club president Claudio Lotito has set the team the challenge of making it this year, even though Italy has lost a Champions League place, meaning a top three finish is needed.

But Reja is undaunted and believes he has a better squad this year than he did last season.

"My aim is the same as the president's. So far we've done well but right now I couldn't say where we'll finish," he said.

"The numbers will be totted up at the end of the season, I just hope we don't throw away points along the way.

"There's many games and that's why it's important to have a full squad.

"Compared to last season we have more character and more experience. We're not flawless given we've made some tactical errors.

"If we manage to stamp those out we could become a very good team but out of superstition I definitely don't want to talk about the title."

Lazio entertain Catania on Wednesday and Reja has called on his team to be more clinical.

"The match against Catania will be very difficult, we'll need patience in certain moments and we'll need to exploit our chances," he said.

Source: AFP