Lecce Cagliari prediction 2024-01-06

Lecce vs Cagliari prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2024-01-05 17:00.
Pressure is mounting on Lecce boss Roberto D'Aversa, who has endured a miserable festive period after his side suffered back-to-back defeats ‘to nil’ at Inter Milan and Atalanta. As a result, the Giallorossi have tumbled into the bottom half of Serie A (SA), with their good start to the campaign now a distant memory thanks to a run of just one win from their last 14 outings across all competitions (D6, L7).

Of significant concern to the manager will be that his side have failed to keep a single clean sheet during that entire run, which has also seen them dumped out of the Coppa Italia. D'Aversa will be hoping that they can tighten up that leaky backline then as they return to Stadio Via del Mare, where Lecce have achieved their only three shut-outs this season, while also picking up 75% of their 20 league points courtesy of four wins from nine outings (D3, L2).

Recent history suggests increasing that tally may be difficult against opponents Cagliari, who have only lost one of the last seven H2Hs (W3, D3). The visitors certainly need to rekindle that kind of form in this outing, given that they currently possess the division’s joint-worst away record after accumulating just two points from nine matches on the road (D2, L7), whilst also scoring a joint-league low five goals in the process!

As such, the Islanders sit inside the relegation zone ahead of this round, although only on goal difference thanks to a 0-0 draw against fellow-strugglers Empoli in their final match of 2023. If they were hoping for a fresh start in 2024, it hasn’t come yet, with Claudio Ranieri’s side hammered 4-1 by AC Milan in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday night, their fourth successive game without a victory (D1, L3).

Key battle: Lecce’s Nikola Krstović has lost just one of the last 27 games in which he’s scored (W20, D6) and he’ll be attempting to get the better of Cagliari goalkeeper Simone Scuffet here, who remarkably hasn’t kept an away clean sheet in SA since September 2018!

Hot stat: Cagliari have scored just three first-half league goals this season, the lowest total in SA.