Lecce's hot Saturday against Verona is worth double

A tough match against Verona, scheduled for today at 3:00 PM at the "Via del Mare," will put valuable points up for grabs. Both teams need to secure the entirety of their points, but they can't afford to lose. The last four Serie A meetings between the Salento and Verona sides have been incredibly close. The 2024/25 match went to the home team (1-0, Dorgu's goal), while the previous three, in 2019/20 (Pessina's goal), 2022/23 (Ngonge's goal), and 2023/24 (Folorunsho's decisive strike in the match that cost D'Aversa his job), saw the visitors prevail (0-1).

For Eusebio Di Francesco's team, therefore, today's match is one to be taken with a pinch of salt, especially since Lecce, at their own stadium, have yet to secure the full spoils and have only picked up two points so far.

The Pescara coach immediately gets into the mood: "We need to stay compact and compact. We need to replicate a performance like the one we had in Florence, alternating the ability to attack high up the pitch with the ability to remain compact at mid-range. By playing this way, I'm convinced, the goals we want will come." As demonstrated against Inter, Verona has very quick and technical forwards, adept at attacking deep: "To contain the opposition's front line, we certainly can't lower the midfielders. Lecce must always work as a team and as a unit. It will be crucial to have an excellent preventive phase. To try not to struggle against a team that, in my opinion, has achieved less than it has produced, we have focused a lot on these aspects."

Of the eleven players he'll throw into the mix, he intends to weigh every move down to the last minute. "I have doubts, and that's positive because it means all the players are training well during the week and performing at a good level in matches, making it difficult for me to decide who to field. In modern football, too often little importance is given to the five substitutions coaches have at their disposal, which can make the difference. Whoever comes in can make a difference." After a year in which, especially after Marco Giampaolo took over, he was often on the sidelines of the project, Ylber Ramadani has returned to prominence, performing very well, and consistently ranks among the Giallorossi players who cover the most kilometers: "He has the characteristics of a marathon runner, but it's not just how much he runs that counts, but the quality of his running. He's doing it with tactical intelligence and is working with great availability towards his teammates. These are qualities he must not lose. But, in the squad at my disposal, everyone has the potential to improve, and that's the goal of the work we're doing in training."

His Lecce side is fresh off a stunning victory in Florence, which boosted the squad's self-confidence and inspired enthusiasm among the fans: "When you win, I savor the positive moment for twenty-four hours. Then you get back on the pitch and focus on the path to follow, on the details to iron out. The finish line is still a long way off, and to reach it, we must continue to grow. In a squad, there are players who are always on point, and others who, if used less, tend to "sleep." Instead, we must understand that everyone will eventually have the opportunity to step onto the pitch and prove they deserve to stay there regularly. It's about being ready." In attack, there seems to be a play-off every week: "I repeat, I always have some doubts, as I have several options and each player has different characteristics. Right now, the only one a bit behind in terms of playing time is Sottil, who has trained less in recent weeks due to an injury. But he's recovered and he too can be useful against Verona. I have more options and I have to exploit them. In Florence, for example, because of his physicality, at the end of the second half, I used Kaba as a winger."

Di Francesco works a lot on set pieces. "We train all the time, usually towards the end of the week. We try to prepare everything, but it's not always enough. A few years ago, specifically ahead of a match against Verona, we studied Veloso's near-post corners for a long time. We conceded two goals from them. I want to emphasize that trying to evaluate all aspects is important, but then it's crucial to take the field with the right attitude. Attitude makes the difference."