Our prediction for this Serie A match:
Lecce
Match Time & Date:
6 January 2024
17:00
Prediction: 1-0
Cagliari
Lecce will be aiming to make amends for back-to-back losses to Inter and Atalanta when they take on Cagliari in the Serie A round 19. The Giallorossi faced a tough fixture list in late December and they are surely capable of matching the Sardinians in front of home fans. Lameck Banda is banned for the match, while both Kastriot Dermaku and Pontus Almqvist miss out with injuries.
The Rossoblu, on the other hand, failed to impress in the 4-1 Coppa Italia defeat to AC Milan reserve team and given their difficulties on the road, we believe that there is a big value in betting on Lecce. Both Eldor Shomurodov and Marko Rog remain on the sidelines with injuries, while midfielder Ibrahim Sulemana returns to the starting XI after the Ghana international came as a substitute in the Italian Cup loss.
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.
Sabah Baku
Celje
AEK Larnaca
Partizan
Paks
CFR Cluj
Shakhtar Donetsk
Ilves
Trnava
Hacken
Legia
Aktobe
