Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Preview: Torino vs. Lecce - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 14 February 2024, 13:35
Torino and Lecce are separated by three places and nine points in the Serie A table heading into Friday's round 25 encounter at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.

The Bull missed a chance to do the double over Sassuolo last weekend, while the visitors suffered their 10th league defeat of the campaign in gameweek 24's 4-0 beatdown by Bologna.

Match preview

Torino's undefeated 2024 run faces its latest threat when Ivan Juric's men host Lecce in Turin this Friday, keen to extend that sequence to six games without defeat.

However, the Maroons' run is littered with draws (three) than victories (two) before this weekend's encounter, with ties against cellar-dwelling Salernitana and struggling Sassuolo seeing the Europe-chasing outsiders miss out on the opportunity to rise in the standings.

Juric's men are mid-table on 33 points, even if five points separate the Bull from sixth-placed Roma and six adrift of Bologna, pointing to the possibility of ending the campaign in a continental position if they find consistency.

Torino's only home defeat in 2023-24 came against champions-elect Inter Milan, and they could secure their sixth win in front of their supporters in gameweek 25.

Their sturdy defensive record in Turin — the Bull have let in just six goals as hosts, the joint-best statistic in the league — offers hope to the home side's prospects, but only by putting the ball in the net at the other end can they rise in the standings.

The Maroons should back themselves against out-of-form opposition, with Lecce's joy at securing a shock 3-2 victory over Fiorentina short-lived as Bologna beat Roberto D'Aversa's men 4-0.

The Salentini's away record does not bode well for Friday, having suffered five consecutive losses on their travels since drawing at Empoli in December, continuing a winless run in away games this term.

Lecce have secured only five road points in 12 games, outdoing only Frosinone and Cagliari, whose three points fall below the Wolves.

D'Aversa's 13th-placed side are not in immediate danger of battling relegation, but that situation could change swiftly as Hellas Verona in 18th are just five points shy of the club from the Apulia region.

With Udinese (15th) and in-form Empoli (16th) under Davide Nicola picking up victories in the previous gameweek — the former stunned Juventus at the Allianz Stadium on Monday night — Lecce's away form could be pivotal to stay clear of the bottom three.

Torino Serie A form:

L

W

D

W

D

D

Lecce Serie A form:

D

L

L

L

W

L

Team News

Adrien Tameze is suspended after an accumulation of yellow cards, while Ange N'Guessan is doubtful after not featuring due to a thigh injury since November; meanwhile, Alessandro Buongiorno's shoulder injury should keep him out until March, and Perr Schuurs (ACL injury) is out for the season.

Duvan Zapata netted for the 10th time against Sassuolo last weekend, and Juric hopes the club's leading scorer in Serie A this term adds to his seven league goals this weekend.

Kastriot Dermaku (knee) is doubtful for Lecce's visit to Torino, even if the Albanian centre-back was not expected to feature in Turin.

D'Aversa will look to the pair of Nikola Krstovic (five goals) and Remi Oudin (three) to come up trumps for the struggling side seeking a first road victory of the campaign.

Torino possible starting lineup:

Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji, Lovato, Rodriguez; Bellanova, Ricci, Ilic, Lazaro; Vlasic; Zapata, Sanabria

Lecce possible starting lineup:

Falcone; Venuti, Pongracic, Baschirotto, Gallo; Kaba, Ramadani, Oudin; Almqvist, Krstovic, Banda

We say: Torino 1-0 Lecce

Previews by email

Top News

17 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Romania vs. Ukraine (Monday, 2.00pm) With the waiting finally over, Group E rivals Romania and Ukraine will kick off their Euro 2024 campaigns on Monday afternoon in Munich. 17 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The feature matchup on Wednesday in Major League Soccer will see the Supporters' Shield leaders, Inter Miami, face the reigning MLS Cup champions, the Columbus Crew, at Chase Stadium. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has revealed the club spoke to Thomas Tuchel about the manager's position. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England midfielder Jude Bellingham eclipsed Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Owen in Sunday's 1-0 victory over Serbia at Euro 2024. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England midfielder Jude Bellingham eclipsed Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Owen in Sunday's 1-0 victory over Serbia at Euro 2024. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly been named as the Premier League club that had a bid rejected for Lille defender Leny Yoro. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Jude Bellingham and Marc Guehi were the standout players for England, as the Three Lions opened their Euro 2024 campaign with a 1-0 success over Serbia on Sunday night. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England made the perfect start to their Euro 2024 campaign on Sunday evening, recording a 1-0 victory over Serbia courtesy of a first-half header from Jude Bellingham. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham scored the only goal of the match as England recorded a 1-0 victory over Serbia in their opening fixture of Euro 2024 on Sunday night. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea are reportedly prepared to offer two players in a bid to sign Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea defender Levi Colwill is reportedly prepared to consider a potential move to Bayern Munich. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly prepared to offer Pep Guardiola a pay rise to extend his contract beyond the end of next season. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Denmark began their Euro 2024 campaign with a frustrating result as Erik Janza netted a 77th-minute equaliser to rescue a point for Slovenia in Stuttgart. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Belgium will be heading into Monday's Euro 2024 fixture against Slovakia having put together a 17-match streak. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Cristiano Ronaldo has said that the current Portugal "generation" deserve to win a European Championship. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Raphael Varane and Casemiro were allegedly two Manchester United players to question the approach of head coach Erik ten Hag over the last two seasons at Old Trafford. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly interested in a reunion with Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Valencia have allegedly launched a £25m offer for Mason Greenwood, with the Manchester United forward keen to make a permanent move to Spain during this summer's transfer window. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Jack Grealish is reportedly open to discussing a move away from Manchester City during this summer's transfer window after struggling for form during the 2023-24 campaign. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly set to loan one of their teenage starlets out to Belgium for the 2024-25 season. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wout Weghorst scores a late decisive goal for Netherlands at a major tournament yet again as Oranje record a 2-1 win over Poland at Euro 2024. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Czech Republic suffered a huge blow ahead of Euro 2024 when key midfielder Michal Sadilek was forced to withdraw from the squad due to an injury which he suffered while riding a bike. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Cristiano Ronaldo is set to lead the Portugal line in the country's Euro 2024 opener against Czech Republic, with the forward remaining a vital player for his country at the age of 39. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk One of the favourites for this summer's European Championship will take to the field on Tuesday evening, with Portugal opening their Euro 2024 campaign against the Czech Republic at Leipzig Stadium. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly pushing to hijack Real Madrid's proposed move for River Plate starlet Franco Mastantuono. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly received a significant boost in their pursuit of Crystal Palace's Michael Olise, as the Eagles have begun negotiations to sign a possible successor. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk French giants Lille have reportedly rejected an offer from an unnamed Premier League club for the services of 18-year-old defender Leny Yoro. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will headline the Georgia side in the country's first-ever match in the finals of a major tournament on Tuesday evening. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Turkey head coach Vincenzo Montella is expected to name Juventus' 19-year-old attacker Kenan Yildiz in his starting XI for Tuesday's Euro 2024 opener against Georgia. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Group F at Euro 2024 will get underway on Tuesday evening in Dortmund, with Turkey and Georgia locking horns for what is likely to be a very important match in the section.