Serie A | Gameweek 8

Oct 20, 2024 at 2pm UK

Stadio Comunale Via del Mare

Lecce vs Fiorentina

Match preview

In an eventful end to a busy week for Fiorentina, David de Gea saved two penalties and made a couple of crucial saves as goals from Yacine Adli - against parent club Milan - and Albert Gudmundsson earned the Viola victory at the Stadio Franchi.

Moise Kean missed a spot-kick and several other chances as well as conceding a penalty, but new strike partner Gudmundsson bailed him out with a 73rd-minute winner.

The 2-1 win followed an unconvincing defeat to Welsh side The New Saints in the UEFA Conference League, but head coach Raffaele Palladino will have been relieved to go into the break with back-to-back victories.

Palladino's side are yet to win back-to-back Serie A games this season and will be looking to do so on Sunday, as well as registering their first away win of a mixed 2024-25 campaign.

Sitting 11th in the table, Fiorentina are still underperforming compared to pre-season expectations, although De Gea has added some star quality between the sticks and the Kean-Gudmundsson partnership has shown signs of promise.

Ahead of the long journey south to Salento, the Tuscan club hold a narrow lead over Lecce in the overall standings, having won 11, drawn 11 and lost 10 of the teams' previous top-flight meetings.

Lecce narrowed the gap with a 3-2 win over Fiorentina last time out, and will be looking to record consecutive home wins over the Viola for the first time since 1991.

Before Serie A was suspended for international duty, head coach Luca Gotti's side were beaten 1-0 by former club Udinese to end a five-match winless streak, including a Coppa Italia defeat to second-tier Sassuolo.

Sitting in 17th place with just five points from seven league games, the Salentini have scored just one goal from open play this season, fewer than any other team in the Italian top flight.

Indeed, it is a perennial problem that plagues them, as they have failed to score in more games this calendar year (16 out of 27) than anyone else in Europe's top five leagues - already their worst Serie A record for some 35 years.

However, there may be signs of a turnaround at the Via del Mare: after three successive defeats, Lecce have taken four points from their last two home games, scoring three goals - one more than in their previous eight.

Recent Performance

Lecce Serie A form:LWDDLL

Lecce form (all competitions):WDDLLL

Fiorentina Serie A form:DDLWDW

Fiorentina form (all competitions):DLWDWW

Injuries and suspensions

Lecce

21 Kevin Bonifazi

16 Joan González

5 Medon Berisha

22 Lameck Banda

-- Jeppe Corfitzen

23 Rareș Burnete

Fiorentina

28 Lucas Martínez Quarta

5 Marin Pongračić

8 Rolando Mandragora

20 Moise Kean

Possible starting lineups

Lecce possible starting lineup:

Falcone; Guilbert, Gaspar, Baschirotto, Gallo; Ramadani, Coulibaly, Pierret; Dorgu, Krstovic, Rebic

Fiorentina possible starting lineup:

De Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Adli, Cataldi, Bove; Colpani, Gudmundsson; Kean