Reja ready to fight for position

Lazio coach Edy Reja still believes his team can finish third in the Serie A despite their worrying form slump.

Napoli are just a point adrift in fourth with four league matches remaining, with Lazio facing a tough trip to fifth-placed Udinese on Sunday.

Reja, whose team have won just one of their last five outings, has urged his men to continue believing they can finish third and secure a Champions League place.

“We still have four games to play and I hope we can achieve our aim at the end, we can still make it, even if we’ve had some difficulties recently,” Reja said.

“We have 15 more days to achieve our goal and we can still make it, we’re still ahead of the other teams fighting for the third position on the table, so we still have that gap.

“I talked with the guys during the week and I know they’ll give more than 100 percent from now until the end of the season.”

Lazio have winnable matches against Siena and Atlanta after the Udinese outing, and they finish the season with a clash against Inter Milan.

Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin said the clash against Lazio was a huge encounter for his team in their bid to play in Europe’s premier club competition next season.

“This is certainly a very important match and a playoff for third place, so that must give us extra motivation,” he said.

“For the second year running we are right up there challenging for a place in the Champions League.

“If we do not win, then our hopes for third are notably damaged. Therefore, this is the game. As for the Europa League, that is still open to us.”