Football Italia
·26 de janeiro de 2025
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·26 de janeiro de 2025
The pressure is on Inter to keep up with leaders Napoli, so Davide Frattesi steps into midfield behind Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram in Lecce.
It kicks off at the Stadio Via del Mare at 17.00 GMT.
Napoli beat Juventus 2-1 yesterday, while Atalanta were also victorious, so it puts the pressure on Simone Inzaghi to maintain the pace.
Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi are still out of action, while Nicolò Barella is rested in favour of a rare Frattesi start.
Thuram and Lautaro Martinez are the first-choice Inter strikers, but elsewhere there is some rotation to rest players ahead of the AS Monaco Champions League decider and Serie A Derby della Madonnina against Milan.
EMPOLI, ITALY – JANUARY 11: Nikola Krstovic of US Lecce celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serie A match between Empoli and Lecce at Stadio Carlo Castellani on January 11, 2025 in Empoli, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
Lecce have made themselves quite difficult to beat on home turf, but their confidence was hit by the 4-1 defeat away to Cagliari.
That was ruined by Ante Rebic getting himself sent off, which is why he is suspended here, plus Lameck Banda, Medon Berisha, Kialonda Gaspar, Hamza Rafia and Filip Marchwinski injured.
Antonino Gallo is back in the squad, but still not 100 per cent fit, so Santiago Pierotti starts instead with Nikola Krstovic and Tete Morente.
Patrick Dorgu, the subject of an approach from Manchester United, is in the starting XI.
Lecce: Falcone; Guilbert, Baschirotto, Jean, Dorgu; Pierret, Coulibaly, Helgason; Pierotti, Krstovic, Tete Morente
Inter: Sommer; Darmian, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Frattesi, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Carlos Augusto; Thuram, Lautaro Martinez