Juventus will look to bounce back from defeat when they host Lecce in the Serie A. Their southern competitors have recently posted a third win from five and are still undefeated. Juve returned to the Allianz Stadium having had their unbeaten start destroyed in Sassuolo.
Preview (Juventus vs. Lecce)
After winning three of their first four league games, Juventus was on pace for a start to the season that would put them back in Scudetto contention after several years of decline as they traveled to Reggio Emilia. The magnitude of their collapse, which ended in dark humor when Federico Gatti scored an almost credible own goal during second-half stoppage time, will worry head coach Max Allegri even though they might yet make a run for the title in the months to come. The ball slipped through Wojciech Szczesny’s gloves for Sassuolo’s opening goal. The Bianconeri twice came from behind to win the match at Mapei Stadium. The hosts ultimately prevailed 4-2 as a result of their errors.
Despite playing the same starting lineup for successive games for the first time in a historic 112-match span of constant change, Allegri’s team was unable to recapture the form that had allowed them to defeat Lazio so decisively just seven days earlier. Federico Chiesa, an Italian striker, will now go up against one of the division’s best defenses. He is still healthy and scored again over the weekend. The hosts on Tuesday have given up the same number of goals in five games. Juve gave up four in 90 minutes against Sassuolo, so it would not be easy to make amends right away.
Lecce, a Puglian club that is now sitting above Juventus in Serie A’s top four. They have only conceded one goal this month, defying expectations and precedent. Even though Lecce lost 2-1 in Turin just last month, they were defeated twice by the Bianconeri last season. However, under the guidance of new manager Roberto D’Aversa, Lecce has amassed 11 points through their first five league games and has yet to lose. The Giallorossi have advanced to the Coppa Italia second round, held Monza and Fiorentina to draws. They defeated Lazio, Salernitana, and Genoa. The latter of which succumbed to constant siege to lose 1-0 at Via del Mare on Saturday.
Team News
Although Atalanta may be in store this weekend, Juventus cannot afford to take Lecce lightly, therefore Max Allegri’s lineup rotation on Tuesday night may be somewhat constrained. There shouldn’t be any further absences for Allegri to worry about except the defensive pairing of Alex Sandro and Mattia De Sciglio, who are still sidelined with injuries, and Paul Pogba, who is involved in his doping case. Tim Weah is most likely to move to the right side, and Nicolo Fagioli and Arkadiusz Milik are both aggressively vying for promotion off the bench.
Federico Baschirotto, a player for Italy, will be available for Lecce after missing the victory over Genoa due to suspension. In addition to Roberto D’Aversa, Kastriot Dermaku, another defender, should recover from a muscular problem. Due to Lameck Banda’s ongoing thigh ailment, the opposition’s front line might not change. Remi Oudin, a French winger, will nevertheless be hoping for a selection after scoring the game-winning goal on Friday night.
Nikola Krstovic, a center forward, has already scored three goals since joining from DAC Dunajska Streda, where he amassed 26 goals last season, in addition to a goal for Montenegro during the most recent Euro 2024 qualifiers, despite narrowly missing the net the last time out. Despite having a strong start to the Serie A season, Lecce has not defeated Juventus on the road since 2004. The Giallorossi have won all of their games at Via del Mare.
Juventus 2 – 1 Lecce
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