Roma host Lecce in a Serie A on Sunday with the capital club keen to close the gap on the frontrunners and should have too much for their visitors, who have only claimed one win all season.
Roma head into Sunday’s clash following a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Real Betis in the Europa League on Thursday. They failed to build on Paulo Dybala's first half penalty and were made to pay for it.
The capital club will be targeting a quick reaction as they look to move up from sixth place on the league table. Things have not been particularly smooth on the domestic scene for Jose Mourinho’s men, but they did claim a 2-1 victory at Inter Milan in their previous Serie A fixture.
Roma have been decent at home this season and head into Sunday’s clash with two wins from their last three matches at the Stadio Olimpico. However, they remain poor defensively with just one clean sheet in their last seven matches across all competitions.
Lecce travel to the Stadio Olimpico off the back of a 1-1 draw with Cremonese in their previous Serie A fixture. They recovered from an early setback with Stefano Strefezza netting an equaliser just before the break but were unable to find the winner.
It has been a tricky start to the season for Lecce, who have claimed just one win from their seven matches so far. Marco Baroni’s men are 13th on the table but could easily be dragged into the relegation zone as they sit just two points above the bottom three.
Despite their struggles this season, Lecce may have something they can build on in Sunday’s clash. They have lost just once in their last five matches while their only win this season has come on the road as they triumphed 2-1 at Salernitana in their previous away fixture.
How the bookies view it
Roma are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a hone win priced at 3/8 by SBK. BetVictor is offering 9/1 for a Lecce victory while a draw is set at odds of 7/4 by bet365.
Head to head
Roma have a 19-1 advantage with five draws from 25 previous matches against Lecce. The capital club claimed a 3-1 Coppa Italia victory over their visitors back in January.
Players to watch
Paulo Dybala is the leading scorer for Roma this season with four goals in seven Serie A matches. The Argentine forward has also scored in his last four matches across all competitions and is priced at 7/5 by Paddy Power to find the net on Sunday.
Stefano Strefezza will be the one to watch for Lecce as he looks to add to his three Serie A goals this season. Bet365 has the forward at odds of 11/2 to get on the score sheet on Sunday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Lecce have the quality to capitalise on Roma’s defensive frailties this season, so both teams could be backed to score 23/18 by SBK. The last meeting between both teams produced over 3.5 goals and a repeat is valued at 11/5 by Unibet while over 2.5 goals is priced at 6/5 by Sport Nation.
The minimal odds for a straight Roma victory means there is more value in a home win and over 2.5 goals at 11/10 with BoyleSports.
This Serie A match between Roma and Lecce will be played on Oct 9, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Roma vs Lecce prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
