Lazio midfielder Lucas Leiva has admitted that qualifying for the Champions League remains the club’s main aim for the current campaign. The Brazilian has suggested that Lazio are eager to compete in the elite competition, and they do not mind progressing through a top-four league finish or by winning the Europa League altogether.

Following the 6-2 league win over Benevento, Leiva said: “All the sides in contention are strong. We just have to win the remaining eight rounds and then see where we are in the table. Serie A can take us into the Champions League or winning the Europa League would do it too, so it’s the same thing as long as we qualify for next season.The fans are passionate and supportive, so we will carry on with our crowd behind us.”

Lazio have been unfortunate with a couple of refereeing decisions which have not gone their way this season, and they are still in the running for a top-four finish with just two points separating them from fourth-placed Inter Milan, whom they are set to face in the final game of the Serie A campaign.

Prior to that, they have the Europa League to worry about with Red Bull Salzburg due to visit them in the first-leg of the quarter-final. The Austrian based club surprised many as they clinched a surprise 2-1 aggregate win over Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16 stage, and Lazio may need to be cautious initially in order to curb the attacking threat of the Red-Bull owned club.

Participation in the Champions League is often regarded as a point of success for any elite European side, and Lazio’s failure to qualify for the competition may hamper them in terms of their summer plans. Ciro Immobile and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic are already being linked with exits owing to their impressive form, and the Champions League offers Lazio the chance to keep hold of their star pairing.