Pedro Rodriguez of Lazio (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)
Lazio veteran Pedro assures he is still “having fun” ahead of his first Europa League start against Dynamo Kiev.
Kick-off will take place at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg at 20.00pm UK time (19.00pm GMT).
You can follow all the construction and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.
“It’s always wonderful to play in Europe and I think it’s important for us. We have a difficult match against a strong opponent and we’ll see if we can get a positive result,” Pedro told Sky Sport Italia.
“The pace is always high in Europe, but Lazio is working well and I am happy to be competing with them. We are all motivated and hope to do well.”
This is the debut in UEFA competitions for coach Marco Baroni, 61, appointed in the summer after his experience at the helm of the national team. Hellas Verona.
“The coach is working hard on his tactical ideas, I think we have already seen some of his potential and we want to push even harder to get the result.”
Europa League still inspires Pedro
Pedro turned 37 in July and has a contract until the end of the season, after which he is widely expected to hang up his boots.
This season he has made two appearances in Serie A, both coming off the bench, so tonight is his first match as a starter.
“I still enjoy it, otherwise I wouldn’t be playing. Time flies, but I try to enjoy every minute I spend on the pitch, especially in Europe, which is special to give the team a step forward.”
The Spaniard arrived in Italy in 2020 for Roma, before moving to Lazio a year later on a free transfer.
He has 84 appearances in the Champions League, four in the European Super Cup, three in the Conference League and this is his 40th in the Europa League.
