Baroni: ‘Lazio must not fear important games’ in Europa League | OneFootball

Marco Baroni warns the artificial turf and weather conditions must ‘not be an alibi’ for Lazio in the Europa League quarter-final with Bodo/Glimt. ‘We must not fear important games.’

The first leg kicks off in Bodo on Thursday at 17.45 UK time (16.45 GMT).

The Biancocelesti surprised everyone by topping the inaugural big league table during the opening phase of the Europa League in its new format.

They then squeezed past Viktoria Plzen 3-2 on aggregate, although this did include an away victory when down to nine men.

Serie A form has also dipped recently, making it rather a tense atmosphere going into this quarter-final.

“I am too concentrated on the present to look any further, but pressure is part of the job, so the more you do important things, the more the tension will increase,” noted Baroni in his press conference.

“We are up against a complicated team that has played together for a long time and has a lot of technical quality. They caused problems for many opponents, not just in this tournament. We need to be cohesive, solid, determined and concentrated to overcome the variables that might spring up.”

This is Baroni’s first ever European adventure as a coach, though he seemed initially to take to the task like a duck to water.

“We must not fear important games. The bigger they are, the more we need to see them as a celebration, with the concentration required to go after big objectives. Individuals do not matter in these games, only the collective and Lazio count.”

Baroni wants Lazio ‘celebration’ in Europa League

ROME, ITALY – JANUARY 10: Marco Baroni, Head Coach of Lazio, looks on prior to the Serie A match between SS Lazio and Como at Stadio Olimpico on January 10, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Roma famously crashed away to Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League some years ago, with many coaches complaining about the difficulties of playing on artificial turf in Norway.

“This must not be an alibi, we know what the conditions are, but also that this is a very good team,” replied Baroni.

“I am convinced the team will not get the initial approach wrong. Cold, high winds and the pitch must not be alibis, the game is too important for that. I played on a synthetic pitch for one year in my career and it is a big advantage, because you know how the ball will bounce. We’ve got to adapt quickly.”

That might be easier said than done, because while Bodo/Glimt trained today under a snowstorm, it had passed by the time Lazio got to have their session, replaced by sunshine.

Playing on a hard, artificial turf will inevitably have repercussions for picking a squad that is already dealing with numerous injuries, including to centre-forward Taty Castellanos, especially with the Derby della Capitale against Roma coming up in Serie A this weekend.

“This is the first of three big games in a row, so we need to evaluate everything along with the players. Taty is fine, but I want to let him get back to a full 90 minutes, hopefully by the second leg. We cannot afford to wait around for Bodo/Glimt, they will not allow us that luxury,” added Baroni.

“We are certainly not thinking about the derby already, we have to take it one game at a time and give our all. This is a match that requires our full focus and a great performance.”