Fiorentina vs Lazio preview - Cavanda preparing for second chance

Posted Saturday, October 18, 2014 by PA

Luis Cavanda has been given a second chance to shine in Rome and firmly believes Lazio are serious contenders for a European place.

It has taken the Angola-born Belgian right-back four years to cement his first-team place at the Stadio Olimpico and his resolute performances over recent weeks have helped Lazio reach eighth place in the Serie A table.

They are level on points with Sunday's hosts Fiorentina, who are yet to concede a goal at home, and Cavanda feels the Biancocelesti can enjoy a successful afternoon in Florence and keep on pushing for a top-five finish.

He told La Repubblica Sport: "At the beginning of September I was more or less out of the squad, so now I'm making the most of this opportunity.

"Our goal is to get into Europe, that's the target we've set for ourselves and we can get there if we keep playing well.

"I'm not afraid of anyone. We can beat anyone, but we have to focus on what we are doing and stay focused."

Lazio clinched a 1-0 victory in this fixture last season, but the goalscorer from that encounter - Lorik Cana - is suspended this time around.

Santiago Gentiletti, Dusan Basta and Danilo Cataldi are sidelined through injury while Fiorentina are without the services of strikers Mario Gomez and Giuseppe Rossi.

La Viola finally recovered from a sluggish start to the season to beat Inter Milan 3-0 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi and, in a further boost to morale, midfielder Alberto Aquilani is keen to sign a new deal with the club he joined from Liverpool on a permanent basis two years ago.

"The situation is clear," he told the Corriere dello Sport. "My contract with Fiorentina expires next June.

"My relationship with the club is good and I feel like I've known the management for a lifetime.

"There's no news at the moment because we have a lot of games ahead of us, but time will tell."