After sealing their Serie B title at the last round of the season, Lecce are back in the top tier after two years, and they certainly begin the season with a bang, hosting giants and last year’s Serie A runners up Inter Milan. The nerazzuri missed out on the Scuddeto for two points last season but have bolstered their squad and notably the return of Romelu Lukaku shoukd propel them to be main contenders once again this year.
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Lecce - Inter Milan: Form Analysis
Lecce have already played their first competitive game of the season, and it was not a positive one. They lost to lowly Citadella 3-2 after extra time and suffered an embarrassing elimination from the Coppa Italia to start their campaign in the worst possible way. The hosts won just one of their three preparation friendlies before that, while the four wins in their last six games show that Lecce will urgently need to find form, especially in this unforgiving division. They do however have four wins in their last six games at the Stadio Via Del Mare, keeping clean sheets in all of these wins. Inter have made it clear that that the Scudetto is their number one target this year, especially after missing out to bitter rivals Milan. The lead up to the season has not gone to plan however so far. Inter won just one of the five friendlies they played, losing among others to Lens and Villarreal. It is also evident that barring the exciting return of Lukaku, the loss of key transfer targets Gleison Bremer and Paulo Dybala to Italian opposition has disoriented the squad and demoralised the fans, while the pending situation of Milan Skriniar, who wanted out but has not been sold yet is another burden in the hands of Inzaghi. Inter are however strong in their recent away games, winning five of their last six games on the road, but have not beaten Lecce away since 2009.
The acquisition of Zurich top scorer Assan Cessay and whether he will find his bearings this season is central to Lecce’s survival chances. Having said that, the striker is already in red hot form, scoring in six of his last seven games in the past season. Despite losing out on some of their most wanted targets, Inter have made some exciting additions including Correa, Lukaku, Onana and Mkhitaryan which could add more elements to their attack. In the goalkeeper position, Handanovic is expected to remain number 1 for now and he will most likely be given the nod to start this encounter. In attack, the explosive partnership of Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku is expected with anticipation at Inter, with Lautaro scoring four times in his last three friendlies. Lukaku scored 30 goals in 44 games during his last season at Inter and he is another target man alongside the Argentinian.
Most goals and assists
Lecce
Inter Milan
Top Goalscorer
G. Strefezza(8 Goals)
Top Goalscorer
L. Martinez(25 Goals)
Best assists
M. Hjulmand(4 Assists)
,
G. Strefezza(4 Assists)
Best assists
F. Dimarco(9 Assists)
,
L. Martinez(9 Assists)
Lecce - Inter Milan Key Points
Lecce’s last two home games have seen both teams score
Lecce have scored in seventeen consecutive games at the Stadio Via Del Mare
Six of Inter’s last seven away games have seen both teams score
Seven of their last ten meetings at Lecce have seen both teams score
Inter are grand favourites to kick off their season with a win, yet a such low odds, goals are out best avenue for profit. Lecce almost always find a way to score at home, and Inter did not display the best defensive performance during their friendlies. Back both teams to find the back of the net.
Lecce vs Inter Milan - Other Interesting Predictions
Half Time Winner: Inter
Odds1.72
Inter will most likely be on the front foot from the early stages of the game, and they will search for an early goal to ease their nerves. Backing on the nerazzuri to emerge as half time winners is a great alternative value pick.