Lecce vs Juventus

Juventus will be looking to leapfrog Inter Milan at the Serie A summit with a win against bottom-half Lecce at Stadio Via del Mare.

Lecce’s downfall continued last weekend as Lazio’s narrow 1-0 home win condemned Roberto D’Aversa’s side to a third defeat in four Serie A games (D1) since a 2-1 home win against promoted Frosinone. By extension, ‘I Giallorossi’ have only won once in their last 15 league outings (D7, L7), contributing to their significant drop-off in the Serie A standings. Once perceived as a potential surprise package, the Puglia minnows are currently only four points clear of 18th-placed Hellas Verona. Via del Mare is the ideal setting to help Lecce steady the ship, as they’re unbeaten in their last four home league games (W1, D3). It’s also worth noting they’ve avoided defeat in all three top-flight home clashes against the sides starting this round seventh or better (W1, D2).

However, Lecce’s decent-looking home form pales into insignificance compared to Juventus’ sterling 91% unbeaten ratio across their last 11 competitive visits to Via del Mare (W7, D3). Massimiliano Allegri’s side must be confident of upholding that run after a 3-0 demolition of Sassuolo last weekend extended their winning streak in all competitions to six games. ‘I Bianconeri’ have performed equally well on their travels, winning five of their six most recent Serie A away matches, though each triumph yielded a single-goal margin. A more comprehensive win could be on the cards, with Juventus netting an eye-catching 15 goals in their last four outings. That’s more than they had amassed across their previous 12 combined. On top of that, a shutout against Sassuolo marked their 11th clean sheet of the 2023/24 Serie A season.