In it for the money

Lazio, Benfica battle for lucrative Champions place

ROME (Reuters) -- Lazio and Benfica battle it out for a place in the lucrative Champions League group stage when they meet in the final qualifying round Wednesday, and both teams are desperate for the money success would bring.

Lazio has been struggling to avoid financial collapse and its parent company Cirio was granted insolvency last week, while Benfica has also been beset by financial troubles.

Both sides have injury worries ahead of the first leg in Rome but Benfica coach Jose Antonio Camacho, whose team is returning to European competition after a two-year absence, believes it will be an enthralling tie.

"It's a tough draw, but a fascinating contest. There's no clear favorite," he told Corriere dello Sport. "Technically, we're not inferior to the Italian side, who, among other things, have to win for economic reasons, just like us."

Benfica, winner of the Champions Cup in 1961 and 1962, has Portugal's biggest following and most successful track record but it was a distant second behind Porto in the title race last season and has not won the championship since 1993.

Surprise package

Lazio, embroiled in the financial problems of ex-president Sergio Cragnotti until a recent share issue diluted his stake, was expected to tread water at the start of last season.

But coach Roberto Mancini turned them into the surprise package of the Serie A season and it briefly topped the league in November on the way to a fourth-place finish.

Since then it has had a quiet summer in the transfer market, the return of midfielder Sergio Conceicao after two years at Inter Milan being the highlight of the past two months.

But it has held on to its best players, in particular Dutch defender Jaap Stam and international strikers Claudio Lopez of Argentina and Italy's Bernardo Corradi, all of whom were expected to depart as the club sorted out its finances.

Conceicao is not fully fit and winger Cesar, whose speed on the left created many of his team's chances last season, is suspended.

In Cesar's absence, Lopez is expected to drop back into midfield behind strikers Corradi and Simone Inzaghi.

Benfica faces an injury crisis up front with both Pedro Mantorras and Nuno Gomes recovering from surgery, while winger Carlitos Cunha has an injured thigh.

Despite the absences its veteran Brazilian stopper Argel believes his side can grab a precious away goal in Rome before sealing a win in the home leg on August 27.

"The draw could have been luckier, but we've studied Lazio and we'll score at the Olympic Stadium for sure," he said.

 

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