Serie A Preview: Napoli vs Lecce – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Saturday’s Serie A action kicks off at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona as table-topping Napoli lock horns with bottom-half Lecce. It has all the makings of a ‘David vs Goliath’ clash, with the most in-form Italian team encountering perennial strugglers on their home turf.

Khvicha Kvaratshkelia scored from the spot to inspire Napoli to a hard-earned 1-0 away win to Empoli last weekend. It was their sixth win in seven league matches (D1) since a 3-0 thrashing at Hellas Verona on Antonio Conte’s touchline debut. As a result, the Partenopei enter this round as early pacesetters, boasting a two-point lead on second-placed Inter.

With the resurgent reigning Scudetto holders facing Juventus in the latest edition of the famous Derby d’Italia on Sunday, this could be a perfect opportunity for Napoli to stretch their advantage at the table’s summit. Heavily fancied to take three points against a downtrodden Lecce side they’ve defeated twice in their last three meetings (D1), Conte’s men return home, where they’ve been unplayable this season.

On the other hand, Lecce’s disastrous form hit a new low last weekend as Fiorentina seized a numerical advantage after Antonino Gallo’s first-half red card to post a stunning 6-0 win at Stadio Via del Mare. A fourth consecutive defeat without scoring in all competitions means manager Luca Gotti is fighting for dear life, with the Giallorossi head into proceedings stranded in the bottom three.

Match Preview

Napoli

As aforementioned, Stadio Diego Armando Maradona has been a fortress this season. Since beating second-tier Modena on penalties in the opening Coppa Italia round, Napoli have won five successive home games in all competitions, scoring at least two goals on each occasion.

Anything other than another clear-cut triumph would be a significant setback for Napoli as they stare down the barrel of a tantalizingly-looking fixture schedule. Conte’s team will play Milan, Atalanta, Inter, and Roma in the upcoming period, highlighting the importance of taking three points against one of the division’s worst-performing sides.

However, Napoli cannot afford to take anything for granted, considering they’ve failed to beat Lecce in their last three home matches in Serie A (D2, L1). That said, the Partenopei held Lecce goalless in both league showdowns in 2023/24 (W1, D1), though this corresponding fixture ended 0-0.

Lecce

Lecce’s surprisingly impressive run on this ground is arguably the only confidence booster for under-pressure Gotti, who can ill-afford another fiasco. His charges haven’t found the net for over 360 minutes across all competitions since being held to a 2-2 home draw to newly promoted Parma on September 21.

That’s particularly ominous for a side that has yet to score away from home this season. Except for a scoreless stalemate at Torino in mid-September, Gotti’s underachievers have lost all three competitive games on the road ‘to nil,’ which probably best illustrates the magnitude of the task awaiting them this weekend.

Serie A’s lowest-scorers with only three goals, Lecce’s effort to extend their unbeaten away run against Napoli looks like a pipe dream. Furthermore, a 0-0 draw in this fixture last term marked their first clean sheet against the Partenopei in Serie A since November 1997. Therefore, writings are on the wall.

Team News

In addition to Napoli outcast Mario Rui, Conte cannot call upon his first-choice midfielder Stanislav Lobotka for this encounter. That means Billy Gilmour should line up alongside Scott McTominay and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa for his second consecutive Serie A star.

As for Lecce,  Kevin Bonifazi, Filip Marchwinski, and Medon Berisha are in the treatment room. The same goes for Joan Gonzalez and Nicola Sansone. Gallo serves a two-game suspension, while Gotti still sweats over Mohamed Kaba’s match fitness.

Napoli vs Lecce Potential Line-ups

Napoli (4-2-3-1): Elia Caprile; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Alessandro Buongiorno, Mathias Olivera; Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Billy Gilmour; Matteo Politano, Scott McTominay, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia; Romelu Lukaku.

Lecce (4-2-3-1): Wladimiro Falcone; Frederic Guilbert, Kialonda Gaspar, Federico Baschirotto, Patrick Dorgu; Ylber Ramadani, Balthazar Pierret; Lameck Banda, Remi Oudin, Ante Rebic; Nikola Krstovic

Napoli vs Lecce Prediction

Conflicting spirits and a substantial gulf in quality make us believe the home fans could be in for a treat. Napoli are in far better shape and boast significantly more quality as we back them to put Lecce to the sword and register another multi-goal margin victory.