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Juventus will play host to relegation-threatened Lecce at the Allianz Stadium on Friday night as they look to widen the gap between themselves and second-placed Lazio. With rumours that manager Maurizio Sarri's job is on the line, the Bianconeri would certainly be looking to get a positive result from the fixture.
Meanwhile, Lecce are currently in the midst of a relegation battle as they sit 18th in the Serie A table with 25 points, which is seven points ahead of 19th-placed SPAL, having played a game more. Fabio Liverani's men were promoted to the Italian top division last season and will be aiming to do all it takes to maintain that status.
Juventus bounced back from their Coppa Italia final defeat against Napoli by beating Bologna 2-0 on Monday night, courtesy of goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala.
Lecce, on the other hand, succumbed to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of AC Milan on the same day as goals from Samu Castillejo, Giacomo Bonaventura, Ante Rebic and Rafael Leao ensured a comfortable win for the Red and Blacks. Lecce's sole goal came from a penalty and was scored by Marco Mancosu.
Juventus vs Lecce Head-to-Head
Juventus' last Serie A encounter with Lecce came in the 2011-12 season, which is the same campaign in which the latter were relegated. In 24 head-to-head games, the Bianconeri have a clear advantage, having won 15 games, drawn 6 and lost 5.
In the reverse fixture this season, Lecce managed to get a credible 1-1 draw at the Stadio Via del Mare.
Juventus form guide in Serie A: W-L-W-W-W-W
Lecce form guide in Serie A: W-W-W-L-L-L
Juventus vs Lecce Team News
Mattia de Sciglio suffered an injury in Juventus' win over Bologna on Monday night and is unlikely to feature for his side this weekend. Danilo, the Brazilian who replaced him, was sent off from the game and will miss the game due to suspension.
With starting left-back Alex Sandro injured, Sarri will also need to decide who plays at left-back. German midfielder Sami Khedira is expected to miss the game due to an injury he picked up in the Coppa Italia final. Veteran players Giorgio Chiellini and Gonzalo Higuain are major doubts while centre-back Merih Demiral is out with a long-term injury.
Injuries: Sami Khedira, Alex Sandro, Merih Demiral, Mattia de Sciglio
Doubtful: Gonzalo Higuain, Giorgio Chiellini
Suspensions: Danilo
Lecce striker Gianluca Lapadula suffered an injury to his ankle and might not feature in the game against Juventus this weekend. Alessandro Deiola missed the match against AC Milan and remains doubtful for the fixture on Friday.
Midfielders Antonin Barak and Zan Majer, as well as left-back Cristian Dell'Orco, are also expected to sit out against the Old Lady.
Injured: Antonin Barak, Zan Majer, Cristian Dell'Orco
Doubtful: Gianluca Lapadula, Alessandro Deiola
Suspensions: None
Juventus vs Lecce Predicted XI
Juventus Predicted XI (4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Juan Cuadrado, Leonardo Bonucci, Matthijs de Ligt, Blaise Matuidi, Rodrigo Bentancur, Miralem Pjanic, Adrien Rabiot, Douglas Costa, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala
Lecce Predicted XI (4-3-3): Gabriel, Andrea Rispoli, Biagio Meccariello, Fabio Lucioni, Marco Calderoni, Jacopo Petriccione, Panagiotis Tachtsidis, Marco Mancosu, Riccardo Saponara, Fillipo Falco, Gianluca Lapadula
Juventus vs Lecce Prediction
Lecce's recent record against Serie A's elite clubs has been poor. They have lost to four of the top five on the road so far this term and have shipped 15 goals across those four away trips. Their 4-1 loss to AC Milan means that they have now conceded 15 goals in their last three Serie A matches.
Juventus, on the other hand, registered a comfortable win over Bologna in their previous fixture, which was a relief for the under-fire Sarri. However, the victory came at the cost of losing both their left-back options and the Old Lady will now have to improvise to fill the absences. With the Bianconeri winning each of their last three home games without conceding, a clean sheet is a genuine possibility.
Prediction: Juventus 2-0 Lecce
