Thiago Motta’s Juventus will look to keep their unbeaten run in Serie A intact when they hit the road to square up against Lecce.
Lecce would love to make it consecutive wins in the league when they host giants Juventus on Sunday at the Stadio Via del Mare. Both teams have had contrasting fortunes so far and it could prove to be an exciting clash between two teams from different halves of the table.
The home team are 15th with just 12 points in their 13 matches. They have only won three league games so far and are just two points above the drop zone.
While things have not been that great for Lecce, they did win their last league outing 1-0 against Venezia thanks to a Patrick Dorgu strike. They did not really dominate the proceedings and could find it difficult to get past the visitors.
Juventus might be unbeaten in the Serie A so far, but they have not been at their best. They have played out seven draws in their 13 outings. Despite being sixth on the points table they are very much in the title race as they are just four points behind league leaders Napoli.
The Old Lady will look to stay in the mix with another win here. Their last league outing was a 0-0 draw against AC Milan and they failed to win (0-0) against Aston Villa in the Champions League. While it will be a challenge for Motta’s team, they are favourites for this one. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
US Lecce
The home team won’t be able to call up Lameck Banda, Medon Berisha, Kevin Bonifazi, and Balthazar Pierret for this fixture.
Lecce will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Wladimiro Falcone in goal. Frederic Guilbert and Antonino Gallo will take charge on the flanks, while Federico Baschirotto will partner Kialonda Gaspar in central defence.
Lassana Coulibaly will pair up with Ylber Ramadani in the centre of the park. The duo will shield the backline and try to ensure that Juventus do not end up dominating the ball too deep in their half. Patrick Dorgu and Santiago Pierotti will provide the width to their attacks, while Hamza Rafia will be the chief creator for the team behind Nikola Krstovic who will be the one up top.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Falcone; Guilbert, Gaspar, Baschirotto, Gallo; Coulibaly, Ramadani; Dorgu, Rafia, Pierotti; Krstovic
Juventus
Juventus have been rocked by injuries this season, they will be without the services of quite a few first-team stars. Arkadiusz Milik, Juan Cabal, Bremer, Nico Gonzalez and Douglas Luiz are all out injured. Meanwhile, the availability of Weston McKennie and Nicolo Savona are major doubts.
While Dusan Vlahovic pushing to be fit in time for this fixture, we might see Timothy Weah continue to lead the line for them. The visitors will stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Michele Di Gregorio will be in goal. Danilo and Andrea Cambiaso will feature as the full-backs, while Federico Gatti will pair up with Pierre Kalulu in central defence.
Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram will form the double pivot in the centre of the park. They will be looking to dictate the pace of the game. Teun Koopmeiners will take up the number ten role, with Francisco Conceicao and Kenan Yildiz on the flanks and Timothy Weah leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Danilo, Kalulu, Gatti, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Weah
Key Stats
- Juventus have set a new club record for most Serie A draws in a calendar year. They currently have 17 to their name in 2024 with a few fixtures to go.
- Lecce have lost each of their last two home games against Juventus, and they failed to score in both those fixtures.
- Thiago Motta’s team have played out nine draws in the new campaign.
- The home team have only scored six goals in their 13 outings, which is a major cause of concern.
- The Old Lady are the only unbeaten team in the Italian top flight, and they have the best defensive record having conceded just seven goals. They have a total of nine clean sheets.
Player to Watch
Francisco Conceicao
On loan from FC Porto, Francisco Conceicao has had quite an impact at Juventus in his first season in Italy. He has scored two goals and bagged five assists in his 12 outings across competitions. The Portuguese international is expected to be in the starting XI, and he will be eager to help his team claim all three points in this away fixture.
Prediction
Lecce 1-3 Juventus
Lecce did secure a win last time out, and they will be confident about putting up a strong performance against Juventus, but they are unlikely to cause them any problems. Despite all the injury concerns. Thiago Motta still has enough quality in his squad to guide them past the home team. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the away team.
