Lecce – Torino : Preview & Prediction
After starting their season by picking up points in their first five Serie A (SA) games (G3, E2), Lecce’s campaign seems to have fallen apart horribly as they have failed to win any of their last four SA games (E2, P2). At least they managed to bounce back with 1-1 draws against Sassuolo and Udinese, raising hopes that they can at least maintain the four-point gap they had with the top four after nine rounds.
Lecce have also failed to win their last two games at the Stadio Via del Mare, a run that threatens to erase the positive effects of the four consecutive wins they recorded in official matches to start the campaign. If they fail to halt that slide and lose all three points here, then it would be the first time they have lost consecutive home league games against this upcoming opponent, Torino, following a 2-0 defeat in this corresponding fixture last season.
One factor in favor of the home side is that Torino have an even longer winless run in SA (E2, P3), including back-to-back defeats to Juventus (2-0) and Inter Milan (3-0). As a result, “II Toro” started this round just three points above the relegation zone with the second-worst nine-game points tally of its current 12-season stay in the top flight. Coach Ivan Jurić’s lingering concern is his team’s inability to score for four straight games, representing their worst run in SA since March 2014.
This trip could be the tonic the team needs to stop that dreadful run, having scored in 13 of their last 15 meetings between the two in the top flight. A win or a draw would give them a nice boost to break out of their recent run of poor results, as Torino have lost three of their last four away games (G1), with all of the defeats coming against teams that started this round in the top half, something that is also the case for Lecce.
Players to watch: Gabriel Strefezza contributed to Lecce’s wins in his last three games in which he scored, as he did when he scored his only personal goal against Torino while wearing SPAL colors. That record could be put to the test by Torino’s Ivan Ilić, who won both of his personal meetings against this opponent, both by a 2-0 scoreline, inc
Lecce – Torino : Betting Tips
Lecce – Win Odds: 2.25
