Our prediction for this Serie A match:
Cagliari and Lecce square off against each other at Unipol Domus in what is expected to be a close Serie A encounter. The Rossoblu failed to impress in a 3-0 loss to Genoa and, no doubt, they would be happy with one point from Sunday’s clash. Uruguay midfielder Nahitan Nandez is widely expected to return to the starting XI, while all Alberto Dossena, Nicolas Viola, Leonardo Pavoletti, and Marco Mancosu remain on the sidelines with injuries.
The Gillorossi, on the other hand, head into the match following a 1-1 draw with Monza. Lecce and Cagliari seem to be evenly matched at the moment. Taking everything into account, we predict that they are going to share the spoils at Unipol Domus. All Yiber Ramadani, Lameck Banda, Mohamed Kaba, and Kastriot Dermaku are out of contention with injuries for the visiting team, while Sweden international Pontus Almqvist should be recalled to the starting eleven.
Highlighted Player (Gianluca Lapadula):
Gianluca Lapadula, also known as Lapagol, due to his goalscoring abilities, was born in Turin and started his career at Juventus youth team, but was released because he wasn’t doing well in his studies. After the departure with Juventus, Lapadula perfected his goalscoring skills in lower Italian leagues and even spent one year in NK Gorica, Slovenia.
During his spell in Ravenna, he managed to finish the season 2012/13 as the top scorer in the group, netting 24 goals in the process. For a long period of time, the 28-year-old was Parma’s player, but he went on loans often, and, after Parma went bankrupt, Lapagol moved to Pescara. With 30 goals in 43 appearances, the striker caught the eye of Serie A giant Milan. He netted his first goal for the Rossoneri only three minutes after he came on as a substitute.
The following season Lapagol became the striker of Genoa. Even though he was called to play for Peru, the Genoa hitman decided to represent Italy, getting his first call to the senior squad in November 2016. However, he never made an official appearance for Italy, since he only played an unofficial friendly against San Marino, when he scored a hat-trick.
Highlighted Team (Lecce):
When you imagine a yellow-red shirt, Lecce must be the first club that comes to your mind. Founded back in 1908, Lecce are Italian club that will compete in the Serie A in the 2019/2020 season. The Giallorossi return to the Italian top flight following a seven-year absence and, as always, they will host their rivals at Stadio Via del Mare.
The venue which was opened on September 11, 1966 can hold up to 33,876 people. The likes of Antonio Conte, Graziano Pelle, Javier Chevanton, Juan Cuadrado, Mirko Vucinic, Fabrizio Miccoli and Massimo Oddo are one of the most notable footballers who played for the Italian club in the past.
Lecce and Gallipoli face each other in the Salento derby and there have been fireworks in meetings between the two clubs since the 2009/2010 Serie B season when they first met in the league.