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

The hosts, meanwhile, have drawn four of their opening six matches, suggesting they will prove much tougher to beat than when narrowly surviving on the final day of last season.

Match preview

In truth, The Garnets were hugely fortunate to escape the Juventus Stadium with a 2-2 draw on Sunday, even accounting for the fact that they led 2-0 at half-time.

Strikes from Antonio Candreva and Krzysztof Piatek had provided the visitors with a shock two-goal cushion, but Bremer's well-taken header six minutes after the break breathed new life into Juventus as they went in search of completing a terrific comeback.

Leonardo Bonucci dramatically equalised in injury-time before Arkadiusz Milik looked to have won it at the death with an excellent header from a corner, but Bonucci was harshly adjudged to have been interfering in an offside position, leading to wild scenes after Milik was shown a second yellow card for taking his shirt off despite the Pole's winner being chalked off.

Head coach Davide Nicola, who has provided a hugely positive impact since taking over in February, will hope for a more routine match against Lecce on Friday, as Salernitana aim to record their second league win of the season and potentially leapfrog Juventus into eighth position in Serie A in the process.

Lecce, meanwhile, have struggled to adapt to the step up in class after winning Serie B last season to return to Italy's top flight.

However, their 1-1 draw at home to fellow newly-promoted outfit Monza on Sunday did at least ensure they remained outside of the relegation zone, with three draws and three defeats enough to keep them in 17th position heading into the weekend.

In a game devoid of any major quality, Joan Gonzalez Canellas levelled the proceedings three minutes after half-time, after Stefano Sensi had provided the visitors with the lead shortly after the half-hour mark.

Marco Baroni will be more than aware that a better performance from his team will likely be required if they are to avoid defeat in Salerno on Friday, having seen their forthcoming opponents invest heavily in their playing squad during the summer.

Salernitana Serie A form:

Lecce Serie A form:

Team News

Salernitana will be without Federico Fazio on Friday, with the former Tottenham Hotspur defender set to serve a suspension having been dismissed following an ugly brawl at the end of Sunday's 2-2 draw with Juventus.

Norbert Gyomber is the likeliest candidate to replace Fazio in Nicola's preferred back three, while Ivan Radovanovic, Franck Ribery, Emil Bohinen and Matteo Lovato all remain sidelined until after the international break.

Likewise, Lecce will travel without Kastriot Dermaku, Mert Cetin and Joel Voelkerling Persson, while Gabriel Strefezza is doubtful due to a muscle injury.

Remi Oudin, Lorenzo Colombo and goalscorer Canellas could all come into Baroni's starting XI should the 59-year-old wish to mix things up in attack in an attempt to find more creativity and goalscoring prowess.

Salernitana possible starting lineup:

Sepe; Bronn, Daniliuc, Gyomber; Candreva, Vilhena, Maggiore, Coulibaly, Mazzocchi; Piatek, Dia

Lecce possible starting lineup:

Falcone; Gendrey, Pongracic, Baschirotto, Pezzella; Canellas, Hjulmand, Bistrovic; Oudin, Colombo, Banda

We say: Salernitana 1-0 Lecce

We expect Salernitana to hold Lecce at arms length and find a second league win of the season.

The investment in their playing staff during the summer has clearly paid off by making them tougher to beat, but the hosts must prove they can consistently beat teams who they are expected to finish above in the table.

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