In the wake of their midweek exit from Europe, ailing Juventus have a tough Serie A assignment on Saturday, when they visit lowly Lecce at Stadio Via del Mare with kickoff at 7 pm.
Juventus, reeling from a 4-1 loss to Maccabi Haifa last time out, travelled to Lisbon on Wednesday hoping to stop the rot against Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain.
Instead, they suffered an unprecedented fourth defeat from five in the competition’s group phase to lose hope of catching their hosts, who sit eight points clear of Max Allegri’s men.
The Italian champions made the scoreline more palatable by striking back through Arkadiusz Milik and Weston McKennie, a 4-3 defeat continues to pile pressure on their much-maligned coach.
Indeed, Lecce’s last win over their visitors came back in February 2011, and since then, Juventus have won two and drawn two matches at Via del Mare.
The current Giallorossi side has drawn 1-1 in each of their last four league games at home and could finish all-square in five straight Serie A home matches for the first time.
Given their illustrious opposition and Lecce’s precarious position outside the relegation zone, such a result would not go amiss for the Giallorossi as they continue their push for survival in Serie A.
Lecce vs Juventus Head to Head
Both sides have 12 games against each other, with the hosts taking one win while the visitors with eight wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Bologna 2-0 Lecce
- Lecce 1-1 Fiorentina
- Roma 2-1 Lecce
- Lecce 1-1 Cremonense
Away
- Benfica 4-3 Juventus
- Juventus 4-0 Empoli
- Torino 0-1 Juventus
- Haifa 2-0 Juventus
Lecce Team News
Juventus could persist with their 3-5-2 formation of recent weeks, but coach Massimiliano Allegri may make changes to the starting lineup. Samuel Iling-Junior could see more time on the pitch than Fabio Miretti and Federico Gatti. The latter might be used as part of the back three in a 4-4-2 formation.
Juventus Team News
While Lecce has Antonio Gallo available after suspension, Giuseppe Pezzella may find his place at left-back under threat. Though Lecce has struggled to score goals, Brazilian forward Gabriel Strefezza has four goals this term and should start in Marco Baroni’s front three once again.
Prediction and Odds
Even in the event of a Champions League hangover, Juventus can score at least once from a set piece at Via del Mare.
- Away Win
- First Half: 0-0
- Goals Under 1.5
