The Stadio Via del Mare will host an intriguing Serie A clash on Sunday afternoon as struggling Lecce welcome an improving Fiorentina side. With contrasting recent form and ambitions, both teams will be eager to secure a positive result as domestic action resumes following the international break.
Lecce find themselves in a precarious position near the foot of the Serie A table, sitting 17th with just 5 points from their opening 7 matches. Head coach Luca Gotti is under increasing pressure to turn things around after a five-game winless run in all competitions.
The Salentini have struggled mightily in attack, scoring just one goal from open play in Serie A this season—the lowest tally in the division. Their overall goalscoring woes have been a longstanding issue, having failed to find the net in 16 of 27 league games in 2024—the worst record across Europe’s top five leagues.
However, there have been some small signs of improvement at home recently. After three straight defeats at the Via del Mare, Lecce have taken 4 points from their last two home fixtures while scoring 3 goals. They’ll hope to build on that as they aim for a crucial result against Fiorentina.
In contrast, Fiorentina enter this match with renewed optimism after an impressive 2-1 victory over AC Milan before the international break. Goals from Yacine Adli and Albert Gudmundsson, coupled with heroics from goalkeeper David de Gea, secured a morale-boosting win for Raffaele Palladino’s side.
That result lifted the Viola to 11th in the table on 10 points, though they are still underperforming relative to pre-season expectations. A win on Sunday would give them back-to-back Serie A victories for the first time this season and potentially kickstart a climb up the standings.
Fiorentina have shown promise in attack, with summer signing Albert Gudmundsson in particularly fine form. The Icelandic forward has netted 3 of the team’s last 4 league goals and will be aiming to score in his fourth consecutive Serie A appearance—a feat last achieved for Fiorentina by Luca Toni in 2005.
Historically, there has been little to separate these sides in Serie A encounters. Fiorentina hold a narrow advantage with 11 wins to Lecce’s 10, alongside 11 draws.
However, Lecce did emerge victorious in the teams’ most recent meeting, securing a thrilling 3-2 win. They’ll now be looking to record consecutive home victories over Fiorentina for the first time since 1991.
Lecce striker Nikola Krstovic has been a rare bright spot in their struggling attack, scoring 67% of the team’s league goals this season. He’ll need to be at his sharpest to find a way past David de Gea, who is coming off an outstanding performance against Milan that included two penalty saves.
Team News
Luca Gotti will be without injured trio Kevin Bonifazi, Mohamed Kaba, and Medon Berisha. Lameck Banda is also short of fitness, meaning Ante Rebic and Patrick Dorgu are likely to flank striker Nikola Krstovic in attack.
Moise Kean is expected to return from a back issue that saw him withdraw from Italy duty. However, Rolando Mandragora and Marin Pongracic remain sidelined through injury.
Expected Starting XIs
Lecce: Falcone; Guilbert, Gaspar, Baschirotto, Gallo; Ramadani, Coulibaly, Pierret; Dorgu, Krstovic, Rebic
Fiorentina: De Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Adli, Cataldi, Bove; Colpani, Gudmundsson, Kean
Match Prediction
While Fiorentina enter as favorites given their superior league position and recent form, Lecce have shown improved resilience at home of late. The hosts’ desperation for points could see them frustrate the visitors, potentially leading to a closely-fought draw.
Prediction: Lecce 1-1 Fiorentina
