Lecce vs Lazio prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-08-19 18:45.
Lecce fans will hope a change in the managerial hot seat can help shake off the troublesome form their side displayed in the second half of last season. They picked up just nine points from their final 15 Serie A (SA) games and only managed to secure survival on the penultimate matchday of the campaign. Despite taking them up to SA in 2022 and ensuring their safety, former manager Marco Baroni left in the summer after both parties failed to agree on a contract extension.
The club hired Roberto D'Aversa as his replacement, although the deal offered – one-year with the option to extend if relegation is avoided – highlights that surviving is again Lecce’s primary goal. They’ll hope strong recent H2H form can help them start that pursuit with a bang here, given they’ve not tasted defeat against Lazio in any of the last three meetings (W2, D1). They could now go four H2Hs without a loss for the first time since 1988/89.
That looks like it could be a tall order for the home side with Lazio coming in fresh from their highest SA finish (2nd) since they won the title back in 1999/2000. Adding the likes of highly-rated forward Taty Castellanos, winger Gustav Isaksen and midfielder Daichi Kamada has also helped to soften the blow of losing key player Sergej Milinković-Savić to Saudi outfit Al Hilal this summer.
Now into his third season, manager Maurizio Sarri is well settled and trending in the right direction, therefore many are tipping Lazio to be a dark horse for the SA title this season. He will have the added challenge of the UEFA Champions League to contend with, but with Sarri having won each of his previous two opening-day matches in charge of the club, they’ll be fancied to start with another win here – especially with the confidence they’ll have following a 9-0 win at Serie C side Latina last weekend.
Players to watch: Gabriel Strefezza was the main man at Lecce with 12 SA goal contributions (G8, D4) last season, two of which came against Lazio (G1, A1). The visitors’ new signing Castellanos finished last season with La Liga side Girona having scored seven goals in his final eight games, and he’s netted in his last two friendly matches for Lazio.
Hot streak: Lecce are without a win in any of their last six opening-day matches at any level.