Lazio are looking to kick off their 2023 in style as they travel to Puglia to face strugglers Lecce.
Kick-Off Time, Location & How to Watch
The match between Lecce and Lazio kicks off at 16:30 local time on Wednesday 4th January at the Stadio Via del Mare in Lecce.
To find out how to watch Lecce vs Lazio in your respective country, check out this verified list of international TV listings.
Lecce vs Lazio: Recent History
Lecce returned to Serie A last year after topping the Serie B table, taking them back to the topflight after a two-season absence. Things have not been easy for the Puglian outfit this campaign and they currently sit 16th in the table, only picking up 15 points from 15 outings. There’s still an eight-point gap between them and relegation candidates Cremonese.
Lazio have impressed domestically this season, finally showing a strong defence to match their electric attack. The team have wobbled on a few occasions, like their 0-0 draw with Udinese and 1-1 draw with Sampdoria, but generally Maurizio Sarri’s outfit have started to develop some consistency.
The last time these two teams met was in the 2019-20 campaign. Lazio won the home leg 4-2 but suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Lecce later in the year.
Lecce vs Lazio: Team News
Lecce will have to deal with two absences for their first outing of 2023, with both Kristjan Bistrovic and Kastriot Dermaku out injured. Marin Pongracic is also in doubt but could come off the bench.
Sarri has a mostly fully fit Lazio squad available to him for the trip to Puglia, allowing him to tinker with the squad a little. Luis Alberto will not join his teammates due to a slight injury.
Expected Starting Lineups
Lecce will be happy to see both Lameck Banda and Joan Gonzalez return to the starting lineup after their recent absences and they’ll stick with their usual 4-3-3 system. Barcelona loanee Samuel Umtiti is also expected to start.
Sarri will deploy a strong Lazio squad for their first game of 2023, relying on stars like Ciro Immobile, Mattia Zaccagni and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Luis Alberto will be on the bench, with Matias Vecino set to start in his favour.
Lecce (4-3-3): Falcone; Gendrey, Baschirotto, Umtiti, Gallo; Gonzalez, Hjulmand, Blin; Strefezza, Colombo, Banda.
Lazio (4-3-3): Provedel; Lazzari, Casale, Romagnoli, Marusic; Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi, Vecino; Felipe Anderson, Immobile, Zaccagni.