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League leaders Inter Milan will invite Lecce to the San Siro Stadium in Serie A action on Saturday.
The hosts are unbeaten in their last 10 league games and goals from Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram helped them register a comfortable 2-0 win over Lazio last week.
They failed to build on their form in their Coppa Italia round-of-16 match against Bologna on Wednesday, suffering a 2-1 defeat. The match was decided in extra time as Carlos Augusto broke the deadlock in the 92nd minute but Bologna fought back and scored twice in the second half of extra time thanks to goals from Sam Beukema and Dan Ndoye.
The visitors are unbeaten in their last five league outings and registered their first win since September last week, defeating Frosinone 2-1. Roberto Piccoli opened the scoring in the 11th minute and Ylber Ramadani bagged a last-gasp winner after Kaio Jorge had equalized for Frosinone.
Inter Milan vs Lecce Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have squared off 38 times in all competitions since 1977. As expected, the hosts have dominated proceedings against the visitors with 27 wins to their name. The visitors have just four wins in this fixture and seven games have ended in draws.
- Just one of the visitors' four wins against Inter have come in their away meetings.
- The hosts secured a league double over the visitors last season, with an aggregate score of 4-1.
- Inter Milan have the best defensive record in Serie A this season, conceding seven goals in 16 games. They have kept four clean sheets in their last five games.
- Lecce have drawn four of their last five league outings. They are winless in their travels this term, drawing five of their seven away games.
Inter Milan vs Lecce Prediction
The Nerazzurri suffered their first defeat across all competitions in their midweek Coppa Italia clash against Bologna and will look to bounce back to winning ways. They have suffered just two losses in all competitions this season, with both coming at home.
They are on a nine-game winning run at home against the visitors, keeping five clean sheets in their last six games in that period. They have kept clean sheets in four of their last five games in all competitions and will look to count on their defensive form here.
Simone Inzaghi remains without the services of Denzel Dumfries and Juan Cuadrado while Stefan de Vrij and Alexis Sanchez are in line to make their returns from ailments. Lautaro Martinez missed a penalty in the Coppa Italia and also picked up a knock, so he faces a late fitness test.
The Salentini have just one win in the Serie A since September, though they are unbeaten in their last five league outings and will look to continue that form here. They have just one win in their last 14 away games, which is a cause for concern.
Kastriot Dermaku remains sidelined with a knee injury and Pontus Almqvist has trained separately, so they are unlikely to make the trip to Milan for the match.
Though both teams have enjoyed good runs in their recent league games, considering the hosts' dominance in this fixture, we back them to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Inter Milan 2-1 Lecce
Inter Milan vs Lecce Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Inter Milan to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Marcus Thuram to score or assist any time - Yes
