On the back of two successive defeats in the league, Fiorentina lock horns with Lecce in the final game of the 10th round of Serie A fixtures on Monday evening.
Having lost four and drawn three matches, Fiorentina, currently sitting 14th on the points table, find themselves in a miserable situation. With two wins from nine games, Vincenzo Italiano’s side has been awful when it comes to covering chances in the league. However, the 5-1 win over Hearts in the midweek should give them a glimmer of hope.
Lecce have won once in their last five games. But the advantage remains that they did not have a game in the midweek. Therefore, the Giallorossi will head into Monday’s affair with fresher legs and more energy than those of their counterparts from Florence.Â
Results in the last five games in all competitions:
Lecce: L-D-W-D-L
Fiorentina: W-L-W-L-W
Team News
Samuel Umtiti was inspirational against Roma and should be in Lecce’s defence on Monday. Kristijan Bistrovic will be absent due to some fitness issues. Defensive midfielder Morten Hjulmand remains suspended for the game after receiving a red card against Jose Mourinho’s men.
As for the visitors, Sofyan Amrabat, having picked up his fifth yellow card against Lazio, will miss the encounter through a suspension. Gaetano Castrovilli has not recovered since undergoing surgery on his knee. Winger Riccardo Sottil has reportedly been suffering from a knock, while Lucas MartĂnez Quarta remains a doubt for La Viola’s visit to Apulia.Â
Predicted XIs
Lecce (4-3-3): Falcone; Gendrey, Baschirotto, Umtiti, Gallo; Bistrovic, Blin, Gonzalez; Strefezza, Ceesay, Banda.
Fiorentina (4-3-3): Terracciano; Dodo, Milenkovic, Quarta, Biraghi; Bonaventura, Mandragora, Barak; Nico Gonzalez, Jovic, Kouame.
Both Fiorentina and Lecce have had a poor start to the season. As such, the distance between Lecce and the Florence-based side stands at two points. A win for Marco Baroni’s men could take them closer to the top half of the table. After an outstanding 2021/22 campaign, Fiorentina are feeling the dire need for a consistent goalscorer. While Italiano’s future has not seen much scrutiny yet, it remains to be seen how they discover the face of the goal on Monday.
GIFN | Jyotirmoy Halder
