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Aiming to advance to the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia, Spezia and Lecce lock horns at the Stadio Alberto Picco on Thursday.
The hosts head into the game without a win in five consecutive outings, while the visitors were beaten 1-0 by Pisa in Serie B last time out.
Spezia were left empty handed once again in Serie A as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of AS Roma last Monday.
Thiago Motta’s side have now failed to taste victory in each of their last five games, picking up one draw and losing four in that time.
They will now look to restore some pride in the Coppa Italia, where they claimed a 3-1 win over Pordenone in the opening game back in August.
Meanwhile, Lecce saw off Parma 3-1 in their Coppa Italia curtain-raiser back in August.
They head into Thursday’s game fresh off the back of a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Pisa in Serie B.
Prior to the defeat, Marco Baroni’s men were on a run of 15 games without defeat, claiming eight wins and seven draws in that time.
Spezia vs Lecce Head-To-Head
The results have been split right down the middle in the history of this fixture, with both sides claiming two wins each from their last seven meetings. The spoils have been shared on three different occasions in that time.
Spezia Form Guide: L-L-L-D-L
Lecce Form Guide: D-D-W-W-L
Spezia vs Lecce Team News
Spezia
The hosts will be without the services of Leo Sena and Emmanuel Quartsin Gyasi, who are both recuperating from injuries.
Injuries: Emmanuel Quartsin Gyasi, Leo Sena
Suspension: None
Lecce
Fabio Pisacane remains the only injury concern for the visitors as the defender continues his spell on the sidelines through a cruciate ligament problem.
Injured: Fabio Pisacane
Suspended: None
Spezia vs Lecce Predicted XI
Spezia Predicted XI (4-3-3): Ivan Provedel; Kelvin Amian, Martin Erlic, Dimitris Nikolaou, Simone Bastoni; Viktor Kovalenko, Jacopo Sala, Giulio Maggiore; Rey Manaj, David Strelec, M'Bala Nzola
Lecce Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Gabriel; Valentin Gendrey, Fabio Lucioni, Kastriot Dermaku, Antonio Barreca; Žan Majer, Morten Hjulmand; Gabriel Strefezza, Mario Gargiulo, Francesco Di Mariano; Marco Olivier
Spezia vs Lecce Prediction
Spezia have struggled to get going in Serie A this season and find themselves just two points above the relegation zone. Lecce, meanwhile, head into the game as one of the strongest sides in the second tier and will be looking to take the fight to the hosts.
We predict a cagey affair with the visitors coming away with a narrow win.
Prediction: Spezia 0-1 Lecce
