Inter will hope to go 12 points clear at the top of the table when they face an inconsistent Lecce side today at the Stadio Comunale Via Del Mare.
Courtesy of second-placed Juventus’ recent dip in form, Inter have managed to increase their lead at the top of the Serie A table and having played a game less than the Bianconeri, Simone Inzaghi’s men have the opportunity today to pull away even more. With a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, the Nerazzurri have put one step forward in securing safe passage to the competition’s quarter-finals. Marko Arnautovic was the hero of the day as he struck late in the 79th minute to grant his team a one-goal lead on aggregate. Inter have won their last nine matches across all competitions and they will aim to stretch it to make it a ten with a win today.
Lecce will have little hope at home for the match as the historical record shows them losing 11 of the last 15 meetings with Inter. While Remi Oudin, Roberto Piccoli and Patrick Dorgu inspired a comeback victory over Fiorentina earlier this month, they failed to carry on the momentum with defeats to Bologna and Torino. Roberto D’Aversa’s men could not score in either of their last two games and they must face an onslaught of attacking football from the league leaders. The Salentini are four points clear of the relegation zone but they need to add points to their tally soon to avert a late threat of the dropzone.
Here are the predicted line-ups for the match:
Lecce (4-3-3): Falcone; Gendrey, Touba, Baschirotto, Gallo; Kaba, Ramadani, Oudin; Almqvist, Krstovic, Banda
Inter (3-5-2): Audero; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Frattesi, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Augusto; Martinez, Arnautovic
Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN
