Leccevs.Empoli

Luca Gotti's men could not keep a third consecutive clean sheet in a row in last week's 3-0 loss at AC Milan, but Davide Nicola's men got an uplifting 3-2 triumph over Torino in gameweek 31.

Match preview

Lecce were fighting a losing battle before last weekend's visit to San Siro, and the eventual 3-0 loss to Stefano Pioli's men ended the mini-upswing under Gotti.

Lupi were chasing a third game without conceding, having defeated Salernitana 1-0 and held Daniele De Rossi's Roma to a goalless encounter at the start of April. However, the Salentini were outdone by an inspired Samuel Chukwueze and Rafael Leao in the loss.

Last week's outcome means Lecce are just three points clear of 18th-placed Frosinone, and Gotti hopes his team avoid their 15th loss of the Serie A campaign on Saturday.

Two victories in their last 15 league games (10 losses) is a portend for this weekend's clash on home turf, with the hosts failing to score in three of their past four Serie A games.

It does not help that the Salentini have secured just two home triumphs since claiming three straight ones to start the season, further underscoring the plight of a side that have failed to find the net in four of their last five in front of their fans, even if they notched three in a 3-2 success over Fiorentina in February.

As for this weekend's opponent, Empoli ended a pitiful run of not scoring in four when they defeated Ivan Juric's Torino in dramatic scenes s at the Castellani.

Nicolas's men led 1-0 and 2-1, but Duvan Zapata twice scored equalisers for the Turin-based club, with the second notched in the 91st minute. However, M'Baye Niang scored his first goal from open play since moving to Empoli to secure the club's first league win since February 24.

That triumph saw the Azzurri leave the bottom three, but the jampacked survival tussle means every club from 13th to 20th could still go down, with cellar-dwelling Salernitana's fate almost sealed.

Empoli are a point and two places behind Lecce heading into this weekend's encounter, and success could see them leapfrog Gotti's team.

Nicola will hope his players show the spirit of the previous weekend and the fight shown in back-to-back wins against Salernitana and Sassuolo in February as the side in 16th look to aid their survival prospects.

Lecce Serie A form:

L

D

L

W

D

L

Empoli Serie A form:

W

L

L

L

L

W

Team News

Nikola Krstovic is suspended for Saturday's game, having received a first-half red in the loss at Milan.

Out of this weekend's game are Jeppe Corfitzen, Mohamed Kaba and Kastriot Dermaku with knee injuries.

Despite not scoring in Serie A since the reverse fixture, Lameck Banda offers a menace in the attacking third, having contributed to four assists and as many goals in 2023-24.

Niang has netted four goals off the bench for Empoli — only Girona's Cristhian Stuani (six) has netted more in Europe's top-five divisions — and Nicola hopes to lean on the forward either as a starter or substitute in gameweek 32.

Tyronne Ebuehi is out for the season with a knee issue, while Ardian Ismajli (thigh) and Giuseppe Pezzella (knee) are anticipated to miss out.

Lecce possible starting lineup:

Falcone; Gendrey, Baschirotto, Pongracic, Gallo; Almqvist, Blin, Ramadani, Dorgu; Banda, Piccoli

Empoli possible starting lineup:

Caprile; Bereszynski, Walukiewicz, Luperto; Gyasi, Marin, Maleh, Pezzella; Zurkowski, Cambiaghi; Niang

We say: Lecce 0-1 Empoli

This game is a close one to call. The home side are struggling to find the back of the net on their turf, while Empoli just ended a four-game run without scoring before last weekend's win over Torino.

However, the away side's penchant for netting late goals means they always carry a threat, and Nicola's men should nick maximum points against a team that go into this weekend on the back of firing six blanks in eight league gameweeks.

Previews by email