Seeking their first win since August, Serie A strugglers Lecce will host Hellas Verona on Tuesday evening, as the clubs clash at Stadio Via del Mare.
While the Salentini have lost four straight games without scoring, Verona were thrashed by Atalanta BC at the weekend, so they sit just four points higher in the table.
Match preview
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Sitting second-bottom of Serie A after a six-goal thumping by Fiorentina, an away game against league leaders Napoli may have left Lecce feeling fearful before Saturday's trip to Stadio Maradona.
However, the Salento side were only beaten by a late strike from home captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, emerging with some post-match credit from Napoli boss Antonio Conte, who started his playing career with the Giallorossi.
Lecce are still winless in six matches, though, leaving Luca Gotti in a precarious position before a big battle at the bottom against likely relegation rivals Verona.
Not only do Gotti's men have only five points on the board, but they have also scored the fewest goals of any team across Europe's top five leagues this season - just three so far.
With 19 conceded, their defence can share some of the blame for such a dismal start to the 2024-25 campaign, which also featured a second-round Coppa Italia defeat to Serie B side Sassuolo.
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Verona were knocked out of the cup one round earlier than Tuesday's hosts, but they soon recovered to beat Napoli on Serie A's opening matchday, before picking up maximum points against Genoa and Venezia.
However, Paolo Zanetti's squad have lost all of their other matches this term, including two defeats for the loss of nine goals over the past week.
Just days after losing 3-0 at home to Monza, the Gialloblu slumped to a 6-1 reverse against Atalanta in Bergamo, where they trailed by four before reaching the half-hour mark.
They may have scored 13 goals so far - more than anyone else inside the bottom half - but conceding 21 means their defensive record is now even worse than Lecce's.
If neither team is exactly in sparkling form, Hellas at least have history on their side as they head down to Via del Mare: having previously won four straight games versus Lecce, they took four points from last season's Serie A meetings.
Team News
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Lecce can recall regular left-back Antonino Gallo after his suspension, so much-coveted winger Patrick Dorgu - who was spotted in deep conversation with Antonio Conte after Saturday's loss in Naples - could revert to a more advanced role.
The hosts' injury list still features Kevin Bonifazi, Filip Marchwinski and Medon Berisha, but French full-back Frederic Guilbert may be passed fit in time to play a part in Tuesday's game.
Despite frequently firing in attempts from all angles, Salentini striker Nikola Krstovic has only produced two league goals so far, but with alternatives thin on the ground he will lead the line once again.
Meanwhile, Verona have Ondrej Duda back in the fold following a one-match ban, so Suat Serdar could drop out of the visitors' midfield. Juan Cruz, Abdou Harroui, Martin Frese and Pawel Dawidowicz are all sidelined by injury.
It remains to be seen whether Paolo Zanetti ditches the three-man back line that started Saturday's defeat to Atalanta, instead preferring a more familiar four-man unit against less formidable opposition.
Lecce possible starting lineup:
Falcone; Pelmard, Gaspar, Baschirotto, Gallo; Ramadani, Coulibaly, Pierret; Dorgu, Krstovic, Rebic
Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:
Montipo; Tchatchoua, Ghilardi, Magnani, Bradaric; Duda, Belahyane; Suslov, Kastanos, Lazovic; Tengstedt
We say: Lecce 2-1 Hellas Verona
Lecce's long wait for a win could finally end, as they come up against Serie A's leakiest defence on Tuesday evening.
In fact, both teams concede goals at a rate of more than two per game, so it may be the case that whichever side makes fewer mistakes will prevail.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
