Lecce will be looking to continue their good form when they host Genoa in Serie A. After four games, Roberto D’Aversa’s Lecce team is fourth and presently holding one of the spots in the Champions League.
Preview (Lecce vs. Genoa)
Along with Inter Milan and Juventus, Lecce is one of three teams in Serie A yet to lose this year. Lecce have gone unbeaten through their first four games for just the third time in their top-flight existence. They have never, though, gone undefeated through five games, so there is a new record on the line. This is a troubling statistic. The testing will only get tougher because Juventus and Napoli are up next. D’Aversa will have a genuine uphill battle keeping the team in the top four. Since joining from Dunajska Streda, Nikola Krstovic has scored three goals in three games.
After scoring 26 goals in Slovakia last season, the attacker added two more goals earlier in the season before joining Lecce late in the summer. This season, Lecce has won both of their home games at the Via del Mare against Lazio and Salernitana while drawing both of their road contests, earning noteworthy victories at Fiorentina and Monza. The outcome at Monza last week was unquestionably the closest since Federico Baschirotto’s dismissal in the 55th minute made it difficult for Lecce to hold on. Lecce valiantly held on for a point and kept their unblemished start despite giving up 25 shots to their four. Genoa, on the other hand, was unable to hold on when Napoli visited last weekend, blowing a 2-0 lead late on to earn just one point.
With four points after that tie, Alberto Gilardino’s team remains stuck in 13th place in their inaugural season in the top division. It perfectly captures Genoa’s up-and-down start, which saw them lose at home to Lazio before beating Fiorentina. until a disappointing recent loss at Torino, Gilardino’s team played quite well against Napoli until the late collapse. However, Genoa may need to pick up some points on the road in order to avoid falling towards problems should they struggle against those two hot teams, Roma and AC Milan, in their forthcoming home games.
Team News
Lecce will be without their starting central defender this week due to Baschirotto’s red card from last week. Kastriot Dermaku is also unavailable due to a thigh injury. He might make his club debut. Morten Hjulmand left for Sporting Lisbon. Ylber Ramadani, Mohamed Kaba, and Hamza Rafia have filled in well for him in Lecce’s revamped midfield. Remi Oudin and Alexis Blin have been reduced to cameo roles thus far this season after losing their midfield positions. Ruslan Malinovskyi might be reinserted into the Genoa lineup by Gilardino. He who opted for a little more defensive lineup against Napoli.
At right-back, Koni De Winter made his professional debut, and Turkish midfielder Berkan Kutlu is looking for his first start. Alessandro Vogliacco is currently out with a thigh ailment. Junior Messias has yet to play since transferring from Milan due to an ankle issue. Lecce will be confident that they can break the club record here despite having never started a Serie A season with five straight victories. Additionally, Genoa has had some extremely encouraging traits, particularly in games against Lazio and Napoli. It should make this a tight, difficult match.
Leece 1 – 1 Genoa
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