Lecce vs Genoa – News and Probable Lineups

After achieving consecutive Serie A victories for the first time this season, Genoa will visit Lecce on Sunday, aiming to secure a third successive league win on matchday 10.

The squad led by Daniele De Rossi is certainly in high spirits compared to the Salentini, who are dealing with two defeats in a row following a 5-1 loss to high-flying Frosinone on Thursday.

Match overview

When Lecce triumphed over Udinese 3-0 in Udine during the seventh round, fans of the Apulia team might have thought that another streak of losses was not on the horizon.

Their win against the Little Zebras halted a two-match losing streak at that time, but the Wolves have since reverted to their previous form, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Juventus in gameweek eight before enduring a heavy loss at promoted Frosinone, where Joel Monteiro’s late goal in the 82nd minute was merely a consolation.

The results from midweek have now allowed the team they will host on Sunday to surpass them in the standings, further boosting their motivation ahead of this matchup.

Lecce supporters will take heart from a noteworthy statistic this season; Di Francesco’s team has bounced back from consecutive league defeats with victories on two occasions: they overcame Monza 3-2 in mid-September after losses to Roma and Cagliari, and triumphed over Udinese 3-0 following setbacks against AC Milan and Bologna.

However, maintaining that form requires improving a home record that has seen them lose three out of four matches at Stadio Via del Mare this season.

Genoa is likely aware of Lecce’s disappointing home form this season, a situation that the Grifone will aim to take advantage of; nevertheless, they should also be cautious of Lupi’s habit of responding to back-to-back setbacks with a win.

De Rossi’s team will be feeling confident after outlasting Juventus and converting their early opportunities through Kingsley Ehizibue and Tommaso Baldanzi to break a four-match losing streak against the Old Lady.

Now, the Ligurian club seeks to end an eight-year wait for three consecutive wins in the top tier, having last achieved that feat during the 2017-18 season with victories over Lazio (2-1), Chievo (1-0) and Inter Milan (2-0) in February 2018.

To accomplish this, De Rossi’s squad must turn around a poor away record, which has seen them without a Serie A victory away from home since their 2-1 win against relegated Pisa in April.

Since that success, the Rossoblu have gone six away matches without a win, losing the last four and failing to score in five of those contests, highlighting their struggles on the road ahead of Sunday’s trip to Apulia.

Team News

Willem Geubbels is set to be evaluated before Sunday’s match after leaving the pitch injured last weekend against Juventus; if he is unavailable, Paco Esteban should step in to lead the attack.

Kialonda Gaspar will serve the second match of his two-game suspension due to inappropriate language directed at the referee during the Juventus defeat, while Medon Berisha (thigh), Lassana Coulibaly (thigh), Santiago Pierotti (ankle), and Ivan Ilic (thigh) are out with injuries.

With Coulibaly likely to miss out, only Tiago Gabriel, who has two goals and one assist to his name, has scored more than once for Lecce, creating a significant dilemma for Di Francesco.

De Rossi’s team has not performed much better in terms of attack, with Milutin Osmajic, leading the team with three goals and one assist, while Lorenzo Colombo has added one goal and two assists.

Mikael Ellertsson and Ehizibue were substituted due to apparent injuries after 41 minutes and 20 minutes remaining, respectively, making both wide defenders doubtful for this weekend’s contest.

Elias Havel (ankle) and Lorenzo Venturino (knee) are both out for Genoa, having not played since August and May, respectively.

Lecce probable starting XI:

Falcone; Veiga, Siebert, Jean, Gallo; Lazy, Kaba, Ngom; N’Dri, Esteban, Fatah

Genoa probable starting XI:

Bijlow; Vasquez, Ostigard, Marcandalli; Drameh, Frendrup, Traore, Mitaj; El Shaarawy, Messias; Osmajic

Although Thursday’s heavy loss was concerning, Lecce has consistently shown the ability to bounce back from consecutive defeats and is expected to deliver a more disciplined home performance.

Genoa’s six-match winless streak away from home and five scoreless games during that run suggest that their recent resurgence could falter at Stadio Via del Mare.