Serie A Preview: Lecce - Juventus

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Claudio Marchisio - Juventus-Reggina - Serie A (Grazia Neri)

Lecce's Winless Streak

Mario Beretta's side are winless in nine games. The last time they picked up maximum points was in week six. They beat Cagliari 2-0 and that was that. The following nine fixtures were a mixture of draws and defeats. Three losses and six draws since then see the Salentini hover just above the relegation zone.

Lecce saved face last week. They were under the cosh against Catania for most of the game but they managed to escape from Sicily with a point after Javier Ignacio Castillo grabbed a spectacular equaliser with his first touch. Scoring has been a problem for Beretta's men. Only 13 goals in 14 games and they have shipped 19. At times they have been unlucky and they will be hoping that changes when Juventus come to town.

Beretta's side have won just twice at home this season. Those were a 2-0 wins against Chievo and Cagliari respectively. The Giallorossi's record against the big teams has not been great. They lost to both Inter and Roma but they did hold Milan to a 1-1 draw just under a month ago.

The Puglia-based side will be boosted by the fact that Juventus are not too special on the road. Two draws, three wins and a couple of losses will boost the Salentini's confidence. The Via Del Mare outfit will be relying on Simone Tiribocchi. The big striker has hit four goals this season and he is the club's top scorer so far. Striking partner Daniele Cacia has only grabbed one this term but he is likely to start on the bench as Beretta sticks with last's weeks 4-4-1-1 formation.

An almost sell out crowd is expected to turn up on Sunday afternoon with 30,000 tickets already being sold in the run up to the game. The head to head record with their opponents is not looking impressive though. Lecce have not beaten the Bianconeri in any of the last six fixtures. They have scored five goals against Juve but conceded 18. Beretta will be hoping this changes. The last match between the two was in Serie B and Juve won that game 3-1.

Juventus On The Mend

The Bianconeri got back to winning ways last weekend as they put their previous two results behind them to thump Reggina 4-0. It was just the tonic to see Claudio Ranieri's men keep in touch with the league leaders Inter and send a stark warning to the rest of Serie A that the team is still standing tall and fighting. The Scudetto is on the wish list this term and a good run until the end of the year is expected.

Giorgio Chiellini has been a rock at the back and his consistent performances have given the side plenty of reassurance. The stopper has demanded maximum points from now until the Christmas break and the Lecce game represents a good chance to pick up three of those festive points.

Up front, Amauri has led the charge. The Brazilian-born star scored against the Calabrians last week to take his tally to seven goals in 14 games in Serie A. He will be looking for more on Sunday and he has a habit of scoring against the smaller teams of the league.

The Old Lady's all time hero Alessandro Del Piero continued to write the history books last week when his penalty took his all time goal tally for the club to 250 goals. 251 and possibly more await him this weekend as he looks to continue his good form this season. With bitter rivals Inter being distracted by a potential banana skin clash against Lazio, this could be the perfect chance for Ranieri's side to close the gap on the runaway leaders.

Form Guide

Lecce

Nov 28 Catania 1-1 Lecce (SERIE A)

Nov 23 Lecce 0-3 Roma (SERIE A)

Nov 16 Sampdoria 3-2 Lecce (SERIE A)

Nov 09 Lecce 1-1 Milan (SERIE A)

Nov 02 Atalanta 0-0 Lecce (SERIE A)

Juventus

Nov 28 Juventus 4-0 Reggina (SERIE A)


Nov 22 Inter 1-0 Juventus (SERIE A)

Nov 13 Juventus 4-1 Genoa (SERIE A)

Nov 9 Chievo Verona 0-2 Juventus (SERIE A)

Nov 5 Real Madrid 0-2 Juventus (CL)

Team News

Lecce: Beretta has no major injury concerns but Andrea Ardito and Andrea Zanchetta are looking doubtful for the game. The former has been suffering from lumbar strain to his lower back while the latter has been complaining of muscular fatigue.

The team has been training hard all week in preparation for the game and the coach will wait until the last minute to analyse his players and make a decision on his best XI.

Probable Starting XI 4-4-1-1: Benussi, Schiavo, Fabiano, Esposito, Stendardo, Ariatti, Ardito, Giacomazzi, Munari, Caserta, Tirobocchi.

Juventus: Jorge Andrade, Jonathan Zebina, David Trezeguet, Gianluigi Buffon, Hasan Salihamidzic, Dario Knezevic, Christian Poulsen, Tiago Mendes and Mauro Camoranesi are all on the injury list.

The Italian midfielder dislocated his clavicle against Reggina but he has made a superb recovery and he could even play against Lecce. However, Ranieri is likely to rest the winger with the BATE game in mind. The rest of the squad trained well and they beat the youth team 4-0 during a specially arranged match.

Probable Starting XI 4-4-2: Manninger, Grygera, Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Molinaro, Marchionni, Sissoko, Marchisio, Nedved, Amauri, Del Piero.

Players To Watch

Lecce: Watch out for Simone Tiribocchi. The hit-man is the club's top scorer this term and he is relishing the chance to get one over the Bianconeri. His shooting from distance is likely to cause one or two problems for Manninger in the Juve goal.

Juventus: Alessandro Del Piero has been practising free kicks and volleys in training all week and so pay special attention to him if the team wins any set pieces around the box. His 251st goal is on the horizon and he is itching to get it.

Prediction

An away win looks likely. Juventus are in confident mood. It will not be easy for the Bianconeri so expect a few hectic moments during the game. However, on paper they have the quality and experience to come through with maximum points from their away day by the seaside.

Lecce 1-2 Juventus

--Salvatore Landolina, Goal.com

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