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

The hosts have won back-to-back matches against champions Napoli and Sassuolo most recently, whilst Lecce are without a victory in their last four league matches.

Match preview

Monza are enjoying a fairytale season in Serie A this term after finishing fourth in Serie B last season and earning a place at the top table of Italian football through the playoffs, with the club heading towards top-half finish.

The White and Reds extended their unbeaten run in the league to eight matches last Friday with a 2-1 away win at Sassuolo, with second-half goals from Patrick Ciurria and Matteo Pessina securing maximum points at MAPEI Stadium.

During their spell without tasting defeat - which stretches back to a 2-0 loss against Lazio in April - Raffaele Palladino's men have produced some notable performances, including successes over Champions League finalists Inter Milan and runaway leaders Napoli.

Currently sitting eighth in the Serie A standings, Monza have the chance to earn a top-half placement during their first-ever season at this level - a story which would be hard for filmmakers to come up with considering the club were in Serie C just two years ago.

Monza have not been a free-scoring outfit this season and remarkably their full-back department is the biggest source of goals, with left-back Carlos Augusto and right-back Ciurria both netting six times to lead the side's scoring charts.

Lecce arrived into the Italian top flight last summer as champions of Serie B, although - unlike Monza - they face a tense final two games as they desperately try to avoid an immediate return to the second tier.

Marco Baroni's men extended their winless run to four matches last weekend after playing out a goalless draw with relegation rivals Spezia - the unsurprisingly nervy encounter at Stadio Comunale Via del Mare saw just a single shot on target.

A trip to second-placed Lazio almost a fortnight ago proved to be an eventful night for the Wolves - Remi Oudin's brace was enough to force a share of the spoils against Maurizio Sarri's charges.

Leece sit 16th in the league standings heading into their final two matches, three points ahead of Hellas Verona in the highest of the relegation spots.

A shining light in a difficult season for Lecce has been Brazilian winger Gabriel Strefezza, with the 26-year-old bagging eight Serie A goals following on from a 14-goal campaign in the second tier last term.

Monza Serie A form:

W

W

D

D

W

W

Lecce Serie A form:

L

W

L

L

D

D

Team News

Monza will be without the services of centre-back Luca Caldirola on Sunday as the 32-year-old serves a one-game suspension for picking up his fifth caution of the campaign last time out.

Samuele Birindelli is therefore likely to partner Pablo Mari and Armando Izzo in the hosts' central-defensive unit as they look to record their 11th clean sheet of the season.

Lecce's Morten Hjulmand is a doubt for the trip to Monza and will be assessed close to matchday in order to make a decision on the player's availability.

Striker Assan Ceesay will be pushing for a start after youngster Lorenzo Colombo was unable to score last time out - the 21-year-old has not registered a goal since early January.

Monza possible starting lineup:

Di Gregorio; Izzo, Mari, Birindelli; Ciurria, Pessina, Rovella, Augusto; Mota, Caprari, Petagna

Lecce possible starting lineup:

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

We say: Monza 2-0 Lecce

Monza are enjoying their best period in the club's history and will be confident of ending their home campaign with a victory over struggling Lecce on Sunday.

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