Lecce vs Genoa: Match Preview and Prediction

January 5, 2025. 16:00. Lecce. "Via del Mare"
Serie A, Round 19

Injuries: Banda, Berisha, Gashpar - Ahanor, Malinovsky, Ekuban, Messias, Norton-Coffie, Matturro

Lecce vs Genoa: Bookmakers' Odds

Lecce

"Lecce" has suffered two consecutive defeats at the end of 2024, losing to "Lazio" at home and "Como" away. The latest defeat allowed their opponent to overtake the Apulians in the standings, and now the Giallorossi are just two points away from the relegation zone. In round 18, "Lecce" failed to score for the first time in 7 matches, and great hopes are pinned on the hosts' top scorer, Nikola Krstovic, ahead of the clash with "Genoa".

The club has also begun its work in the transfer market. Lecce's sports director, Pantaleo Corvino, has secured the loan of talented attacking midfielder Jesper Karlsson from "Bologna" for half a year. At the time of writing this preview, it is unknown whether he will make the squad for the match against "Genoa".

Genoa

In their first match of 2025, "Genoa" emerged victorious away at "Empoli" with a score of 2-1, climbing to 13th place in the standings. This result was made possible not only by goals from Badely and Ekuban but also thanks to a crucial save from goalkeeper Leali, who stopped a penalty shot from Esposito. The same Esposito that Luciano Spalletti hopes to see in the Italian national team soon.

Since Vieira's arrival in Liguria, he has suffered only one defeat, and the "Grifoni" has managed to keep three clean sheets. "We haven’t achieved anything yet," noted the French coach.

In Lecce, the team will be "strengthened" by Mario Balotelli - the forward has recovered from a virus that sidelined him from last week's trip to Tuscany. His return comes at a crucial time as Ekuban will miss the match at "Via del Mare" due to injury.

Lecce vs Genoa: Likely Line-ups

Lecce vs Genoa: Author's Prediction

Two relegation battlers who changed coaches during the season, leading to improvement in their performances, are set to clash. This match in Italy is seen through the lens of a striker duel - Krstovic versus Pinamonti. I’m not confident that either will score in this encounter, but I believe both teams are more likely to find the back of the net than not. "Lecce" plays at home, while "Genoa" has been generally more stable lately.