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

The hosts are guaranteed to finish 16th, while the visitors could finish anywhere between eighth and 11th depending on Sunday's results.

Match preview

Despite registering a solitary attempt on target while seeing just 26% of the ball last time out, Lecce defeated Monza 1-0 to secure survival on the penultimate weekend of the campaign, with Lorenzo Colombo netting a penalty in the 101st minute to seal the deal.

When Lecce suffered six straight defeats between February and April - scoring a single goal in the process - it looked as though Marco Baroni's men would join Sampdoria and Cremonese in Serie B next season.

Since then, however, the Giallorossi have picked up two wins and three draws in eight outings to renew their top-flight status for another season, with a 1-0 victory over Udinese preceding an impressive 2-2 draw against Champions League-bound Lazio.

Still, there is no hiding the fact that Lecce possess the third-worst home record in Serie A, having registered three wins, eight draws and seven losses at Stadio Via del Mare this season.

After managing to win just one of their previous 10 home league games - recording four draws and five defeats along the way - the Wolves could struggle to give their fans something to cheer about in their final clash of the campaign.

As for Bologna, they find themselves 11th in the standings ahead of the season finale, having recorded 13 wins, 12 draws and 12 defeats across an inconsistent campaign.

That said, the Rossoblu head into Sunday's clash on the back of an impressive 2-2 draw with Napoli, as second-half goals from Lewis Ferguson and Lorenzo De Silvestri saw Bologna come from 2-0 down to snatch a point against the scudetto winners.

Last weekend's draw extended Bologna's unbeaten run to four matches, as Thiago Motta's men played out back-to-back stalemates with Sassuolo and Roma last month before thrashing relegated Cremonese 5-1.

When you look at the bigger picture, the Greyhounds have lost just two of their previous 12 Serie A encounters, although seven of those games were drawn, meaning that Bologna have dropped points on 10 occasions since February.

Nevertheless, Bologna can take confidence from the fact that only six teams have netted more Serie A goals this season, while Lecce are the fourth-lowest scorers in the division.

Lecce Serie A form:

W

L

L

D

D

W

Bologna Serie A form:

D

L

D

D

W

D

Team News

Lecce have reported no fresh injury problems ahead of the final match of the season, although Albanian defender Kastriot Dermaku remains a doubt due to a muscle issue.

Having chalked up nine goals and three assists this term, top scorer Gabriel Strefezza will continue to play alongside Assan Ceesay and Lameck Banda in the Wolves' forward line.

Elsewhere, French midfielder Alexis Blin is expected to operate in the engine room, with Federico Baschirotto partnering Barcelona loanee Samuel Umitit at centre-back.

Bologna, on the other hand, will be without injured pair Roberto Soriano and Adama Soumaoro, while Argentine midfielder Nicolas Dominguez is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

There are also question marks over the availability of Greek defender Georgios Kyriakopoulos, who has missed the past four matches through injury.

Michel Aebischer and Musa Barrow will likely occupy the wide attacking areas for the visitors, with veteran forward Marko Arnautovic expected to lead the line.

Lecce possible starting lineup:

Falcone; Gendrey, Baschirotto, Umtiti, Gallo; Askildsen, Blin, Oudin; Strefezza, Ceesay, Banda

Bologna possible starting lineup:

Skorupski; Posch, Bonifazi, Lucumi, Cambiaso; Schouten, Moro; Aebischer, Ferguson, Barrow; Arnautovic

We say: Lecce 2-2 Bologna

The Stadio Via del Mare faithful will be in party mode on Sunday as they cheer on their team without any lingering relegation fears.

Bologna will be eager to finish as high up the table as possible, but the visitors may have to settle for a share of the spoils as the hosts aim to sign off on a high.

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