AS Roma vs Lecce Prediction, lineups, betting tips & odds

Both teams are struggling and have the same points on the table.

The Serie A is not going how we expected as AS Roma are having an early season relegation battle with the fellow bottom dwellers Lecce. Who would have pictured that, just months ago?

AS Roma’s season has been nothing short of chaotic, teetering dangerously close to the relegation zone. So much so, that the club had to ask Claudio Ranieri to come out of retirement to pull them out of this rut. While performances have improved under Ranieri, results remain elusive, with a draw against Spurs and losses to Napoli and Atalanta leaving the Giallorossi desperate for a turnaround.

So, they have the visitors in Lecce, up next. We can’t really say that it should be easy for Roma because they both have exactly 13 points.

Lecce have leaned heavily on their defensive discipline to climb away from trouble. Their pragmatic style has yielded results, with a dramatic equalizer against Juventus last weekend–a good showing after 90 minutes of hard work. If that’s anything to go by then Roman ruins are about to get worse.

Kick-off

Saturday, December 7, 7:45 PM UK

Sunday, December 8, 1:15 AM IST

Location: Stadio Olimpico

Form

AS Roma (in the Serie A): W-L-L-L-L

Lecce (in the Serie A): W-L-D-W-D

Players to watch

Mats Hummels (AS Roma)

Mats Hummels showed his class once again. No, not the usual in defence, but in front of the opposition’s goal by delivering a clutch stoppage-time equalizer against Spurs to salvage a Europa League point for Roma. We don’t want to sit here and talk about how experienced a 35-year-old baller is coming from Germany.

At this point, AS Roma might just need that. Some sort of hope to cling on to.

Ylber Ramadani (Lecce)

Ylber Ramadani, the Albanian midfield maestro, has become a key cog for Lecce since his 2023 arrival. Ramadani anchors the team’s transitions. He is not your guy to get going on the scoreboard, but he’s certainly the guy to be a thorn in the opposition’s attacking plans in the middle of the park.

Match facts

• Roma have just one win in the last five games, while Lecce have lost just once in that time
• Lecce have scored only seven goals in 14 matches
• They are both on 13 points, two points away from relegation zone

AS Roma vs. Lecce: Betting odds & tips

• Tip 1: Roma to win-4/7 bet365
• Tip 2: Both teams to score-3/1 Matchbook
• Tip 3: Over 3 goals-9/5 VBet

Injury & team news

AS Roma will aim for simplicity under Ranieri, focusing on boosting players’ confidence and returning to basics. Injury woes have eased, with only Mario Hermoso unavailable, leaving the squad nearly at full strength.

Lecce head to the capital with no fresh injury setbacks, retaining their previous starting eleven. However, Lameck Banda, Balthazer Pierret, and Kevin Bonifazi remain sidelined, testing their squad depth.

Head-to-head

Games: 11

Roma: 8

Lecce: 1

Draws: 2

Predicted lineups

AS Roma (3-5-1-1)

Svilar; Mancini, Hummels, Ndicka; Celik, Cristante, Paredes, Kone, Tasende; Dybala; Dovbyk

Lecce (4-2-3-1)

Falcone; Guilbert, Gaspar, Baschirotto, Gallo; Coulibaly, Ramadani; Dorgu, Rafia, Morente; Krstovic

Match predictions

We understand that Roma have been out and done for most of the season so far. But you can hardly keep one of the league’s top teams quiet for the entirety of a season. Plus, the game against Lecce will be at home, and considering how hard the Italian (Claudio Ranieri ) can get, don’t expect the home side to go without a fight.

Prediction: AS Roma 3 – 1 Lecce

Telecast

India: GXR World

UK: TNT Sports 2

USA: fubo TV, Paramount+

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