Utd, lazio aim for Cl group stage

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Manchester United are looking to complete the job over Club Brugge in their Champions league play-off second leg on Wednesday while Italy's lazio may have slightly more to do to secure a place in the group stages.

The English Premier league giants have a two-goal lead to take to Belgium after a 3-1 win at Old Trafford last Tuesday, while lazio have a slender 1-0 advantage for their second leg against Bayer leverkusen in Germany.

A 2-0 win for Brugge at the Jan Breydelstadion would be enough to take them through at United's expense (on the away goals rule), but United — three-time winners of the Champions league — are confident after Marouane Fellaini's late third goal in the first leg.

Brugge boss Michel Preud'homme, on the other hand, was less optimistic after conceding the third goal in Manchester. Brugge, meanwhile, haven't made the group stages since the 2005/06 season when they finished third in Group A behind Juventus and Bayern Munich.

lazio go to Bayer leverkusen hoping to defend a one-goal advantage and reach the main draw for the first time since the 2007/08 season.

Keita Balde Diao's second-half winner at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome was the difference between the two sides last week, but leverkusen are seasoned campaigners who have made the round of 16 in three of the last four seasons and were only edged out on penalties by 2014 runners-up Atletico Madrid at that stage last campaign.

Elsewhere, Sporting lisbon take a 2-1 lead to Russia against CSKA Moscow in the hope of securing a place in the main draw for the second successive season.

Belarus champions BATE Borisov are favourites to reach the group stages for the fourth time in five years as they take a 1-0 advantage to Serbia for their second leg against Partizan Belgrade, who haven't qualified for the main draw for five years. Astana are 90 minutes from making history as they look to become the first Kazakh team to qualify for the main competition. 

Daily Pioneer
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