Lecce, last chance to stay alive with Lazio. And 1986 comes to mind...

LECCE - Beat Lazio to stay in Serie A regardless of the results of their direct rivals. Lecce is called to a very high level feat as the team coached by former Marco Baroni (who will not be on the bench due to suspension), boasts a far superior caliber to that of the Salento team. Add to this that the Biancocelesti still have some chance of qualifying in the Champions League zone and are still in the running to access the Europa League.

While waiting for the word to pass to the pitch, we cling to everything to believe in salvation and, in this perspective, the Olimpico evokes the memory of a sensational feat that has gone down in the annals of Italian football. Everyone remembers Lecce who, already relegated, was able to beat a Roma launched towards the scudetto. The reference is to April 20, 1986, when the Salentini led by Eugenio Fascetti made the Capitoline supporters cry bitter tears, beating their team at home.

Different times and different contexts. But why not assume that history could repeat itself, in the same stadium, this time with Lazio as a rival? Why should the Biancocelesti's poor chances of entering the Champions League determine motivations superior to those of the Giallorossi who will fight to maintain their category? Then maybe things will go differently and the predictions in favor of Alessandro Romagnoli and his teammates will be respected, but in the meantime it is necessary for Lecce to believe and give their all, chasing a permanence-thrilling that will be talked about for a long time.

"Our feat in 1986 is proof that anything can happen in football, that there are no obvious results," says Carmelo Miceli, who was the libero and captain of the team that threw Roma fans into despair. "The Capitoline team had the championship within reach and no one would have bet anything on us. When we took to the field, there was a climate of great enthusiasm in the stands. Well, we did our part. We immediately went behind on a goal by Graziani, but we equalized with Di Chiara and scored twice with Barbas. Our opponents were nervous. They probably didn't expect to face a lively team. Towards the end of the match, Pruzzo closed the gap, but Lecce won. Yet our rivals' motivation was enormous, considering that they were one step away from the tricolor title."

On Sunday, in the Lazio-Lecce match, both contenders will have important goals to try to achieve. This means that, unlike April 20, 1986, the Salento team will also be under enormous pressure. "In games like this, you have to go onto the pitch without thinking about the league table, the possible scenarios, the fact that the opponents are stronger on paper," Miceli says. "You have to limit yourself to giving your best, not to back down an inch in the face of difficulties, to make your rivals understand that you have boundless faith in your own abilities, that the shirt you wear feels like a second skin. In short, you have to try to throw your heart and soul into the mix. When the referee blows the final whistle, we'll see if it was enough. You also need a good dose of luck, a helping hand from Lady Luck." Miceli doesn't believe that a single Lecce player can influence the result: "Those who are fighting to stay up don't have the elements that can determine, on their own, the outcome of a match. Only the greatest players have this kind of power, and they still need the collective. In Rome, against Lazio, in the game that will decide the season, the Salento players will have to focus on the group, on the ability to help each other, on the determination to use up all their energy, with fierce concentration, on the part of those who will be used from the first to the last minute as well as those who will come in».

Lecce's other chances of survival are linked to the "misfortunes" of others: "You have to try to be the architects of your own destiny. If things go badly, then you will read the results of your direct rivals in the hope that they are favorable. It should be noted that, in the event of a defeat in Rome, in the best case scenario the Giallorossi would have the opportunity to pursue permanence through a play-off. It must be said, however, that while Venezia's home game against Juventus is not at all easy, the game between Empoli and Verona could lead the two teams to "settle" for a point, in the unfortunate event that the Salento team were to go clearly behind against Lazio".