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Serie A: Lecce vs. Udinese: Lecce hosts fellow Serie A strugglers Udinese at Stadio Via del Mare on Monday evening, needing just one point to guarantee safety.
Rejecting the Bianconeri win would validate the hosts’ existence, but their guests are in far more serious danger.
Lecce appears to have timed their climb out of the drop zone perfectly, having won six of their past seven Serie A games after a 1-1 draw with Cagliari last week. This comes after the team had a concerning mid-season slump.
The Giallorossi’s sole loss during that time came against AC Milan, so it’s obvious that Luca Gotti’s hiring as head coach has paid off, but Nikola Krstovic, who is back to full strength, has also contributed significantly.
The Montengrin, who is currently partnered up front with former rival Roberto Piccoli, has personally contributed to a goal in each of his previous three games. He levelled the score late in Cagliari after a brilliant strike against Monza.
Lecce is just one win away from securing their third consecutive season in Serie A with a seven-point lead over Udinese, in 18th position. A draw on Monday would see them cross the finish line.
Having lost five of the previous six league games, they are unbeaten in their last four against the Fruilani, so recent history will be on their side. A rematch of the 1-1 outcome from the October matchup will even cause celebrations in Salento.
Given that Udinese has struggled to defeat opponents this season, the positions could have easily been reversed, with them looking down on their hosts in the standings.
Not only is 18 draws the most among the top five divisions in Europe, but it’s also the club’s highest total in almost 41 years.
The Fruilani will now take on the Serie A squad that has scored the most goals (16) in the last 20 minutes, but they have also given up more goals (18) than any other team in the same time frame.
Because of this, Udinese is currently in the bottom three and may soon lose their status as a top division team. Their recent performance, which has seen them collect only three points from their past seven games, raises the possibility of relegation.
Although Isaac Success scored in stoppage time in the second half to rescue a point against Napoli on Monday, and the Bianconeri have already defeated Lazio, Juventus, and Milan, their incapacity to perform well against weaker opponents has also proven expensive.
The only team with fewer points than those in the lower half of the standings is Salernitana, who will play in Serie B. Fabio Cannavaro, the new coach, will attempt to buck that trend at Via del Mare.
Lecce Serie A form:
D L W W D D
Udinese Serie A form:
D L L L D D
Lecce manager Luca Gotti will have to make a change up top when the team plays his old team on Monday since Roberto Piccoli is suspended after receiving a second yellow card last weekend.
Pontus Almqvist could be brought up from the bench to start on the home team’s right wing, moving Remi Oudin into a more advanced role behind the highly effective Nikola Krstovic.
Knee injuries have kept Kastriot Dermaku, Mohamed Kaba, and Lameck Banda out of action for the remainder of the season; however, Nicolas Viola may recover from a calf issue in time to make the squad.
Enzo Ebosse and Gerard Deulofeu are among Udinese’s long-term absentees. Sandi Lovric, Marco Silvestri, and French forward Florian Thauvin are also expected to miss the arduous journey to Salento.
More encouragingly for Fabio Cannavaro, Nehuen Perez and Martin Payero, two Argentines, are back in the lineup after missing one game each due to bans.
Leading scorer Lorenzo Lucca, who has only scored once in his previous 16 league games, will be backed by either Roberto Pereyra, the captain, or Brenner. The latter is anticipated to make a full recovery from a slight injury that prevented him from playing in the draw against Napoli.
Lecce possible starting lineup:
Falcone; Gendrey, Baschirotto, Pongracic, Gallo; Almqvist, Ramadani, Blin, Dorgu; Oudin; Krstovic
Udinese possible starting lineup:
Okoye; Perez, Bijol, Kristensen; Ehizibue, Payero, Walace, Kamara; Samardzic, Pereyra; Lucca
Our prediction for this match 0-0 or 1-1 draw
