Juventus travel to play Lecce on Saturday afternoon as they look to take their winning run in Serie A to six games.

Maurizio Sarri's side are currently one point clear at the top after eight games, with the promoted side sitting in 16th with seven points.

Match Preview

Fabio Liverani's Lecce came from behind twice last time out to grab a point against AC Milan, a result that will certainly give the Southern Italian side confidence heading into their game with the table-toppers.

Securing a draw at San Siro showed the fight possessed by the Giallorossi, who finished second in Serie B last year, but it was another performance that highlighted the defensive issues they have had this season with closing down players, especially in wide areas.

Khouma Babacar got his first of the campaign last time out and the striker's physicality will be key for when Lecce are able to get forward and press the Juventus defence with long balls.

The stats heading into this one do not make pleasant reading for Liverani's side though - they have lost six in a row at home in Serie A and they are yet to pick up a point at the Stadio Via del Mare this season.

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Juventus have yet to really get into top gear under Sarri's management but they have continued to grind out results - most recently in the Champions League, where Paulo Dybala's brace helped them come from behind to see off Lokomotiv Moscow.

Following that win, the Old Lady may be tempted to rest some players for Saturday's game with the return trip to Moscow and meetings with AC and local rivals Torino to come before the international break.

Juventus have won 15 of their 17 games against Lecce in Serie A during the 21st century, but they have failed to pick up maximum points in three of these sides' last five games against each other.

One positive for Lecce will be the fact that the Juventus defence has not been as tight as in previous seasons, with Sarri's side failing to keep a clean sheet in their last three matches, a run that suggests that Liverani's men will get chances.

Lecce recent form: WLWLLD

Juventus recent form: DWWWWW
Juventus recent form (all competitions): WWWWWW

Team News

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Lecce are without midfielder Giannelli Imbula for Saturday's game, while striker Filippo Falco is a doubt after going off in last weekend's match with Milan.

Should Falco not have recovered in time for the weekend, Babacar is expected to lead the line alongside Diego Farias, with the rest of the side expected to be unchanged.

Juventus have quite the injury list at the moment, with Aaron Ramsey, Douglas Costa, Mattia De Sciglio, Giorgio Chiellini and Mattia Perin all out of action.

With that and their upcoming fixture list in mind, Sarri will probably make a few changes to his lineup for the weekend.

Federico Bernardeschi and Danilo are among those likely to get a starting spot on Saturday, although Dybala is expected to keep his place after his midweek heroics.

Lecce possible starting lineup:
Gabriel; Mecciarello, Lucioni, Rossettini, Calderoni; Majer, Tachtsidis, Tabanelli; Mancosu; Babacar, Farias

Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny, Danilo, Rugani, de Ligt, Sandro; Pjanic, Matuidi, Rabiot; Bernardeschi, Dybala, Ronaldo

We say: Lecce 0-2 Juventus

Despite not being totally perfect on the defensive front recently, Juventus should have more than enough to see off Lecce on Saturday.

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