Lazio enjoyed home field advantage as they looked to qualify for the group stage of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League, winning 1–0 against the experienced club of Bayer Leverkusen in the first of the two play-off games held earlier today, Tuesday.
Le Aquile had hoped they would be able to oust Bayer at home to get ahead and inch closer to Champions League group stage play, in which they last participated in the 2007–08 season.
Stefano Pioli and his club had been looking to improve their performance against Bayer since they did not have a great preseason after losses suffered to Vicenza, Anderlecht, and Mainz 05 and a 2–0 defeat against Juventus in the Italian SuperCoppa earlier this month.
Lazio was led by the club's new captain Lucas Biglia, who Pioli had earlier said would be playing against Bayer amidst reports spreading that a move to Manchester United was close to completion.
"He will definitely play. He's happy to be Lazio captain and totally available for selection," Pioli had told reporters Monday.
Pioli had also said that the preseason had little value and the start of the real challenge would be their play-off matches against Bayer.
"I honestly believe that what has happened up until now has little value. We must try to show our worth on the field," according to Piolo.
But they took on the experienced club with uncertainty on their goalkeeper, as Federico Marchetti was still nursing two fractured ribs and his status against Bayer was undetermined.
Meanwhile, Bayer entered the match looking for a victory before heading back home for the second game.
Unlike Lazio, Bayer had participated in the Champions League last season and in the past four seasons, made it to the round of 16 three times.
The club also had a successful preseason winning three exhibition matches and were recently in action on Aug. 15.
Striker Stefan Kießling and midfielder Karim Bellarabi were expected to lead the offense for manager Roger Schmidt.
The last time these clubs had played against each other at the UEFA Champions League was in 1999; and both their matches ended in a 1–1 draw.
Lazio and Bayer's match played earlier today, Aug. 18 at 7:45 pm BST (2:45 pm EST) with the live coverage made available on BT Sport Extra and Fox Sports 2. The second leg will be held in Germany on Aug. 26.
