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

Juve return to the Allianz Stadium having seen their unbeaten start torn to shreds in Sassuolo; meanwhile, their southern counterparts have just posted a third win from five and are yet to be defeated.

Match preview

Travelling to Reggio Emilia after posting three wins from their first four league games, Juventus seemed to be on track for a start to the season that would put them back in Scudetto contention after several years of decline.

They may still mount a push for the title in the months ahead, but the nature of their collapse - which ended in dark comedy, with Federico Gatti scoring a scarcely believable own goal during second-half stoppage time - will worry head coach Max Allegri.

Though the Bianconeri twice fought back from behind - after their downfall began with the ball slipping through Wojciech Szczesny's gloves for Sassuolo's opener - they then fluffed their lines in the closing stages at Mapei Stadium, where the hosts ultimately ran out 4-2 winners; earning just a second Serie A victory of the season.

Curiously, it had been the first time Allegri fielded the same starting lineup for consecutive games over a remarkable 112-match period of constant change, but his team could not replicate the form that saw them beat Lazio so convincingly just seven days earlier.

More positively, Federico Chiesa remains fit and scored again at the weekend, and the Italy striker will now pit himself against one of the most effective defensive set-ups in the division.

While Juve shipped four in 90 minutes at Sassuolo, Tuesday's hosts have conceded the same total in five games so far, so it may not prove a straightforward task to put things right at the first opportunity.

In fact, Lecce have leaked only one goal this month, during a successful spell that defies both expectation and precedent - the Puglian club currently sit above Juventus inside Serie A's top four.

They may have been beaten twice by the Bianconeri last season, losing 2-1 in Turin as recently as May, but new coach Roberto D'Aversa has led Lecce to a tally of 11 points from their first five league fixtures, and they remain unbeaten at this stage of a top-flight campaign for the very first time.

In addition to reaching the Coppa Italia's second round, the Giallorossi have held Monza and Fiorentina to draws and beaten Lazio, Salernitana and Genoa - the latter succumbing to relentless pressure to lose 1-0 at Via del Mare on Friday.

After their Ligurian visitors had gone down to 10 men during the first half, Lecce patiently pressed for a winning goal, and Remi Oudin's deflected strike in the 83rd minute ultimately proved enough to split the sides.

Summer signing Nikola Krstovic also came close with a number of attempts, and D'Aversa will now hope that such fine form can continue over the coming days, when his team face two particularly tough tests.

After tackling Juve, Lecce are bound for Naples on Saturday, when they go toe to toe with last season's champions. As of now, though, they have nothing to fear from either Napoli or Turin's famous Old Lady.

Juventus Serie A form:

Lecce Serie A form:

Lecce form (all competitions):

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Team News

Atalanta may await at the weekend, but Juventus cannot afford to take Lecce lightly, so Max Allegri's squad rotation could be relatively limited on Tuesday evening.

Defensive duo Alex Sandro and Mattia De Sciglio are still unavailable due to injury - and Paul Pogba is embroiled in his doping case - but Allegri should have no other absences to contend with.

Tim Weah is likely to come in on the right flank, while Arkadiusz Milik and Nicolo Fagioli are also pushing hard for promotion from the bench; should Milik be brought in, Dusan Vlahovic could be rested.

Federico Chiesa has made his best scoring start in Serie A - four goals in his first five matches - but may also make way as Allegri aims to avoid overloading his injury-prone talisman.

Lecce, meanwhile, will have Italy international Federico Baschirotto back in the fold after he missed the win over Genoa through suspension. Another defender, Kastriot Dermaku, should return from a muscular issue; adding to the options of Roberto D'Aversa.

Lameck Banda stays sidelined with a thigh injury, so the visitors' front line could remain unchanged. French winger Remi Oudin will hope to be selected, though, following his match-winning strike on Friday evening.

Despite narrowly failing to find the net last time out, centre-forward Nikola Krstovic has already scored three times since arriving from DAC Dunajska Streda - who he bagged 26 for last term - in addition to a goal for Montenegro during the recent Euro 2024 qualifiers.

Juventus possible starting lineup:

Perin; Rugani, Bremer, Danilo; Weah, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Cambiaso; Kean, Milik

Lecce possible starting lineup:

Falcone; Gendrey, Pongracic, Baschirotto, Dorgu; Kaba, Ramadani, Rafia; Almqvist, Krstovic, Oudin

We say: Juventus 2-1 Lecce

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