Italy Round 14

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Roma vs Lecce Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Roma:
Svilar; Mancini, Hummels, Ndicka; Celik, Kone, Cristante, Angelino; Dybala, Pellegrini; Dovbyk

Lecce:
Falcone; Guilbert, Gaspar, Baschirotto, Pelmard; Coulibaly, Ramadani; Dorgu, Rafia, Pierotti; Krstovic

Roma will welcome Lecce to Stadio Olimpico on Saturday evening. Both teams have 13 points and they are just two points away from the relegation zone. The Giallorossi are without a single victory since October, losing four league matches in the meantime. The main reason for the poor results is bad atmosphere. Everything started when the club officials decided to sack Daniele de Rossi, coach loved by the fans. His successor Ivan Juric was under heavy pressure, it was just a question when he will leave. Claudio Ranieri is the latest name as he come out of retirement at the age of 73 to help Roma until the end of the season. He is third coach this season and fourth in 2024 counting Jose Mourinho. Ranieri is well known for winning the Premier League with Leicester City, one of the biggest surprise in the history of football. But his start as Roma coach wasn't successful. In the first game he lost 1:0 to Napoli, then played a 2:2 draw with Tottenham in Europe League, while on Monday lost 2:0 to Atalanta. The players confidence isn't high and that's a huge problem for Ranieri. He has most of his players available, but Mats Hummels is rated as doubtful after he was forced off during Monday's clash with Atalanta. According to the medical staff, Hummels should be ready in time for this match. Young star Niccolo Pisilli returns to action after serving a one-match ban.

As I wrote above, Lecce are 16th with 13 points. They are just two points away from the 18th-placed Como, the first team in the drop zone. It is not a big surprise they are involved in the relegation battle, but the actual form is solid. Lecce are unbeaten on the last three matches, they won 1:0 against Venezia, while shared the points with Empoli and Juventus. New coach Marco Giampaolo is doing a good job and I believe the fans are satisfied. Nevertheless, the biggest problem is the attack. Lecce have scored just seven goals, less than any other side in Serie A. Key striker Nikola Krstovic will try to improve his record of just two league goals this season. I believe his confidence is low at the moment, but should find some inspiration from the fact he scored a hat-trick for Montenegro in UEFA Nations League game against Turkey in November. Lecce will be without four, possibly five players for this match as Lameck Banda, Antonino Gallo, Kevin Bonifazi and Balthazar Pierret are definitely sidelined due to injury, while Filip Marchwinski is doubtful after sprained his right ankle in training.

Roma vs Lecce Prediction:

The current situation in Roma is very complicate. The last defeat from Atalanta was particularly painful for the fans. First because the defeat came at Stadio Olimpico, and second because Zaniolo scored the second goal and then celebrated wildly, provoking the fans. However, Ranieri now must secure the first victory and he is well aware about that. If something is good, that's the opponents. Lecce are in solid form, they are unbeaten on the last three matches in Serie A, but it is clear they are not strong like Napoli or Atalanta. I think Roma will win.

Roma vs Lecce Pick: Roma to win @ 1.55 with Everygame