Lecce vs SPAL Predictions

• Lecce are coming off impressive wins over Torino and Napoli.
• SPAL have lost 75% of their away trips this season.
• The visitors have lost 16 league games so far.
• SPAL have lost 3 of their 4 clashes with their bottom 5 rivals, including a 3-1 loss to Lecce.

SPAL Go All-in

Saturday’s clash in Lecce is a huge relegation six-pointer, as the sides in 17th and 20th meet. SPAL head to Lecce, with their season going from bad to worse. They’ve fallen seven points shy of safety, so this clash is make or break.

As a result, they’ve made a big move. Leonardo Semplici – the man who led them to back-to-back promotions and a first Serie A season in 49 years – is out. In his place comes Luigi Di Biagio, but can he fix things?

Lecce Lift

It’s been a good period for Lecce, which in turn probably pushed Semplici into more danger. The side in 17th place have won back to back games in brilliant fashion. They first dispatched Torino 4-0, picking up a first home victory of the season in the process.

Then, Lecce were able to continue their fine away record with a 3-2 victory at Napoli last weekend. That shock came with Napoli back to their best, yet another big result for Fabio Liverani and his men. However, they are only three points clear of the bottom three, so they can’t stop there.

Safety First

Survival has to be the priority for both sides, although both are taking big risks for safety. Di Biagio is certainly a gamble, as his managerial career so far has been in international management with the Italian under 21s. Making the jump to club management isn’t easy, especially at this point in the season for a SPAL side who have limited resources.

We don’t see Lecce being thrown by a new manager bounce from the visitors here. SPAL have looked out of their depth all season, with nine losses in 12 trips and 16 defeats overall. Meanwhile, their record against the bottom five has seen them lost three out of four clashes so far, including a 3-1 home defeat to Lecce.

We are backing a home win given the state of both sides right now. SPAL have scored just seven away goals and they’ve conceded 22 in return. We have confidence in a Lecce side who have scored twice or more in five of their seven home games to sides from seventh and below. As a result, a 2-1 home win is our correct score selection.