After a horrid run in Serie A, Spezia looks to end their five winless streaks across all competitions this week when they take on Lecce. The match is scheduled for Thursday at the Orogel Stadium-Dino Manuzzi, kickoff at 8 pm.
Spezia currently sits in 17th place in Serie A, while Lecce is third in the second tier after their 28-game unbeaten run ended on Sunday.
As they contend with the first challenging period of their season, Spezia boss Thiago Motta might welcome the opportunity to turn his attention to Europe.
A run of four defeats in five games—the latest coming against Roma on Monday—has left Spezia just two points above the relegation zone, with a trip to Napoli still to come before Christmas.
Aquilotti failed to build on their advantage against Atalanta BC and Sassuolo, and there is a feeling that a winnable tie in the Coppa Italia has come at the right time.
Spezia has lost just once at home this season, with Bologna beating them late on November 28.
Aquilotti reached this competition stage in August thanks to a 3-1 victory away at Serie B strugglers Pordenone.
Moreover, Lecce was one of the more impressive teams in their division this season, but their unbeaten streak ended on Saturday as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at leaders Pisa.
Spezia vs Lecce Head to Head
Both sides have 7 games against each other with each other taking two sides. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Roma 2-0 Spezia
- Spezia 2-2 Sassuolo
- Inter 2-0 Spezia
- Spezia 0-1 Bologna
- Atalanta 5-2 Spezia
Away
- Pisa 1-0 Lecce
- Lecce 2-0 Reggina
- SPAL 1-3 Lecce
- Lecce 3-3 Ternana
- Frosinone 0-0 Lecce
Spezia Team News
After 17 minutes against Roma, Jacopo Sala is expected to miss out in the Spezia midfield. Perhaps Emmanuel Gyasi and Dimitrios Nikolaou will also rest, with Petko Hristov, Salvador Ferrer, and Daniele Verde among the players who could return to the team.
Lecce Team News
Baroni, whose focus is promotion, may keep changes to a minimum. Brynjar Ingi Bjarnason, Alexis Blin, Marcin Listkowski are some players who may be drafted into the starting lineup.
Prediction and Odds
Even though Lecce might fancy their chances, we feel Spezia has enough to prevail and pick a win.
- Spezia Win
- Both Teams to Score
- Goals Over 2.5
