Serie A Preview: Roma vs Lecce – Team News, Lineups & Prediction | OneFootball

Roma will look to return to winning ways when they take on Serie A minnows Lecce at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday afternoon. These are difficult times for the three-time Italian champions, with their European ambitions in limbo after a series of underwhelming results.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s men are winless in their last three league outings, including back-to-back 2-1 defeats to Genoa and Como. As a result, they trail Cesc Fabregas’ fourth-placed side by six points ahead of today’s kickoff and cannot afford another slip-up if they’re to stay in the race for a first top-four finish since the 2017/18 season.

However, Roma’s confidence took another hit in midweek UEFA Europa League action, as fellow Serie A rivals Bologna overcame the Giallorossi after a nerve-shredding extra time, denying them quarter-final qualification. Desperate to bounce back from that heartbreaking defeat, Roma will hope to make a statement on home turf.

Visiting Lecce appear to be incapable of spoiling their hosts’ plans, having lost three of their last four league outings (W1), with each defeat coming against current top-six sides. Only last weekend, Serie A’s least prolific team fell to a 2-1 loss at Napoli, sliding into the bottom three.

Still, they sit level on points with 17th-placed Cremonese, who pulled off a crucial 2-0 victory at Parma yesterday, heightening the pressure on the Puglia outfit ahead of their trip to the capital.

Match Preview

Roma

Fatigue could be catching up with Gasperini’s players following an exhausting second leg against Bologna, but they must dust themselves off if they’re to stay relevant in the top-four picture. Roma are without a win in their last five games across all competitions (D2, L3), accounting for their longest winless sequence under the former Atalanta manager.

Ominously, they’ve already suffered ten defeats in 29 Serie A matches this season, one more than they did in the entire 2024/25 campaign. However, they’ve been impressive at the Olimpico, where they boast an eye-catching 78.57% unbeaten ratio (W9, D2, L3), while it’s also worth noting that they’ve not lost a single home league game since November (W5, D2).

Lecce’s upcoming visit can inspire further confidence, given that Roma have won the last three top-flight meetings between the sides, including a 2-0 triumph in January’s reverse fixture. If that’s not comforting enough, the hosts have pieced together a jaw-dropping 18-game unbeaten run against this opposition at home (W16, D2).

Lecce

To further underline Roma’s status as a bogey team for Lecce, the visitors have won none of their last ten competitive clashes against Gasperini’s side (D2, L8) since a 4-2 home victory in April 2012. Though now would be a perfect time for them to break this drought, their travel sickness hints at another disappointing outcome.

Indeed, Lecce have lost nine of their 14 away league matches this term (W3, D2), including the last two in a row, despite opening the scoring inside 15 minutes on both occasions. Furthermore, Eusebio Di Francesco’s charges have notoriously struggled against top-half rivals this season, picking up a league-low four points in such fixtures (D4, L11).

With just 21 goals scored in the first 29 rounds, Lecce are the worst attacking team in Serie A, and they’re unlikely to add to that dismal tally here, considering not a single member of their squad has ever found the net against Roma in the top flight. As such, this promises to be another forgettable afternoon for the Salentians.

Team News

Injuries have decimated Gasperini’s squad, with Zeki Celik and Manu Kone joining long-term absentees Paulo Dybala, Evan Ferguson, Matias Soule, and Artem Dovbyk in the treatment room. Moreover, the Roma boss cannot call upon star wingback Wesley Franca, who must serve a one-game suspension after receiving a red card against Como last time out.

On the other hand, Lecce will take this trip without several first-team stalwarts, including Medon Berisha, Francesco Camarda, and Kialonda Gaspar. Lassana Coulibaly suffered a thigh strain against Napoli, while Fiorentina loanee Riccardo Sottil struggles with a back injury.

Roma vs Leece Potential Starting Lineups

Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Ghilardi; Celik, Cristante, El Aynaoui, Tsimikas; Pisilli, Pellegrini; Malen.

Lecce (4-2-3-1): Falcone; Veiga, Gabriel, Siebert, Gallo; Ramadani, Ngom; Pierotti, Gandelman, Banda; Stulic.

Roma vs Lecce Prediction