Eusebio Di Francesco was relegated with Frosinone and Venezia in the last two Serie A seasons. Now leading Lecce, should you back them for the drop?How will newly promoted Cremonese and Sassuolo fare? The former is now led by relegation specialist Davide Nicola, which could work in their favour.25/26 Serie A Relegation MarketOddsCremonese1.61Pisa1.72Hellas Verona2.25Lecce3.25Sassuolo3.00Odds courtesy of Stake. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.Lecce are the most vulnerable of the established Serie A teamsIn 2024/25, Lecce managed to avoid relegation by finishing fourth bottom, only three points above 18th-placed Empoli.There were lots of worrying signs for Lecce going into this season, however. They lost the second-highest number of games (20) and somehow finished the season as the lowest scorers in Serie A, averaging just 0.71 goals per game.The club’s hierarchy sought to create a new chapter for the team by appointing Eusebio Di Francesco as the new manager in June. However, Di Francesco’s recent relegation record would make even the most positive Lecce fan uneasy.Di Francesco has overseen recent Serie A relegations for Frosinone and Venezia in 2023/24 and 2024/25. Last season, he led Venezia to just five Serie A victories. Fans may doubt his ability to manage in the Italian top flight.As for transfer activity, their biggest signings have been full-backs from the French second tier and the Scottish Premiership. None of these signings are likely to give bettors confidence in steering clear of them in the relegation market. At a probability of 33.33%, this offers serious value before the season kicks off. CremoneseCremonese finished fourth in Serie B last season – some 22 points off the pace of eventual champions Sassuolo. This already suggests there is a clear quality gap between I Grigiorossi and Sassuolo.The team narrowly found their way into Serie A by edging out Spezia 3-2 on aggregate in their playoff final round. The club have invested more heavily than Lecce to strengthen their squad for Serie A, with upwards of €11m spent on new recruits. These include some loanees from Milan and Napoli, as well as the standout performers from Serie B. Their golden ticket to staying up could be their boss Davide Nicola. The 52-year-old is a well-known specialist in avoiding relegation. He has helped the likes of Cagliari and Empoli establish themselves in recent seasons.PisaPisa are preparing for their first season in Serie A since 1991. They finished second in last season’s Serie B standings, just six points shy of champions, Sassuolo.Their success was built on a solid defence, having conceded just 36 goals in 38 games. They also finished as the second top scorers in the division.Like Cremonese, Pisa have invested heavily to prepare for their long-awaited Serie A campaign. Talented midfielder Isak Vural joins from Frosinone, while Rennes forward Henrik Meister strengthens a frontline that already includes M’Bala Nzola, who joined on loan from Fiorentina.Hellas VeronaAfter losing star central defender Diego Coppola to Brighton this summer, Hellas Verona are another established Serie A team the betting markets believe could struggle in 2025/26.They currently give I Gialloblu a 38.18% chance of relegation, even higher than Lecce’s current relegation probability. They finished only three points above Lecce last season, and Coppola’s exit may be a bigger blow than some think. The club have reinvested the funds from Coppola’s transfer by bringing in five new players.Paolo Zanetti has sought to add more quality and depth to his midfield with the likes of Cheikh Niasse, Antoine Bernede and Grigoris Kastanos joining. Meanwhile, Olympique Lyon’s fringe player Amin Sarr became their joint-most expensive signing of the summer to boost their attack.SassuoloLast season’s Serie B champions, Sassuolo, are the fifth favourites for relegation from Serie A this season. Given that they’ve held onto many of the players that excelled in the top flight last time out, they should have one of the more settled squads in the bottom half of the table.The team scored 78 goals in Serie B last season, losing only six of their 38 league games. They’ve also made some savvy signings in the summer transfer window. Sassuolo picked up two of Venezia’s best defenders, Jay Idzes and Fali Cande, to bolster their backline.Meanwhile, the season-long loan signing of Ipswich’s imposing keeper, Aro Muric, looks like a smart addition. At a current relegation probability of 33.33%, there isn’t much value in backing Sassuolo right now, which makes Lecce the standout value pick before the season even starts.+
