Lecce vs Juventus – News and Probable Lineups

Having secured only one victory in their last four fixtures, Juventus is looking to silence their critics by overcoming Lecce this Sunday evening.

As they prepare for the encounter at Stadio Via del Mare, Lecce sits just two points behind Juventus in Serie A after achieving a significant away success last weekend.

Match overview

Looking to maintain their positive start in this season’s Europa League, Juventus faced the prolific French team Rennes on Thursday night in Italy.

Contrary to their lackluster domestic form, Juventus had an impeccable run in Europe with wins against NEC and Celta Vigo; however, they struggled to secure a single point in Turin last time out.

The visitors managed to find the net twice following Nick Woltemade’s assist for Zeki Celik’s opening goal, and equalized from the penalty spot, but Weston McKennie had a late goal disallowed for offside.

While they remain competitive in UEFA’s second-tier tournament, Juventus’ position in the domestic league is less favorable, as they fell to eighth place after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Lazio last week.

Woltemade and Randal Kolo Muani squandered a clear opportunity as Luciano Spalletti’s team faltered at home, having won just one of their last five league matches.

With Spalletti’s job seemingly in jeopardy, accumulating only 11 points puts them behind other teams aiming for the Serie A top four – they are just two points clear of Lecce.

Since the start of the 2004-05 season, Lecce has managed just one win in 20 top-flight encounters with Juventus, and that solitary victory was back in February 2011.

In their previous meeting at Via del Mare in May, Lecce fell behind from a first-minute goal and lost 1-0, although this did not prevent them from avoiding relegation.

Now for the fifth consecutive season, Lecce is appearing in Serie A, managing to narrowly stay up last time around, and they may face a similar struggle this season.

After securing only six points from their first six matches, Lecce was knocked out of the Coppa Italia by ambitious Serie B side Palermo before pulling off a surprise win against Udinese last week.

They scored two headed goals from corners to achieve an impressive 3-0 victory away at Udine, with a stunning strike from Jamil Siebert adding to their tally.

Team News

Despite facing injury limitations, Spalletti is expected to rotate his squad once again during this hectic schedule leading up to the international break.

After netting the opening goal midweek, Celik suffered a thigh strain, while Nico Gonzalez was withdrawn due to a calf issue; both players will join Francisco Conceicao, Kenan Yildiz, Khephren Thuram, Jeff Ekhator, Kamil Grabara, and captain Manuel Locatelli in Juventus’s crowded treatment room.

Even though he is struggling in Serie A, Woltemade has just joined the ranks of Roberto Baggio and Darko Kovacevic as the only players to score in each of their first three European games for the Bianconeri.

It remains to be seen if the German forward will partner Kolo Muani, after they finally played together against Rennes.

Lecce is also in search of the right combination up front, with underperforming forwards William Geubbels, Nikola Stulic, and Paco Esteban yet to find the back of the net in the league this term.

While their list of absences may not be as extensive as Juventus’s, Lecce will miss Lassana Coulibaly and Santiago Pierotti, both of whom sustained injuries last week.

Additionally, Ivan Ilic and Medon Berisha will still be unavailable, with the latter continuing to struggle with a thigh issue.

Lecce probable starting XI:

Falcone; Veiga, Gabriel, Gaspar, Gallo; News, Mother, Lazy; N’Dri, Geubbels, Monteiro

Juventus probable starting XI:

Viceroy; Kalulu, Bremer, Lucumi; McKennie, Luiz, Sarr, Cambiaso; Alajbegovic; Kolo Muani, Woltemade

Juventus faces challenges with fatigue, inconsistent form, and a lengthy injury list, making securing three points in Lecce anything but a certainty.

Lecce, lacking a dependable attack, has largely depended on set pieces, but their limitations may become apparent against stronger opposition.