AS Roma prepares to host Lecce in a Sunday evening Serie A fixture, facing the absence of crucial players Wesley Franca and Manu Kone. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini’s squad aims to recover swiftly from their recent Europa League elimination.
The Giallorossi recently suffered a thrilling 4-3 aggregate defeat in the Europa League Round of 16 against fellow Italian side Bologna on Thursday. Their immediate focus must now shift to the domestic league and their pursuit of a Champions League qualification spot.
Currently, Roma sits in sixth place with 51 points. They are three points adrift of fourth-placed Como (54 points) and fifth-placed Juventus (also 54 points, following their 1-1 draw with Sassuolo on Saturday).
Lecce is also in dire need of points to escape the relegation zone. Following Cremonese’s 2-0 victory over Parma on Saturday, Eusebio Di Francesco’s team dropped to 18th place with 27 points.
Gasperini faces significant selection challenges. Wesley is suspended after a controversial red card against Como last weekend, while Kone sustained an injury against Bologna on Thursday, sidelining him for approximately a month. The team’s attacking options are also severely depleted, with Paulo Dybala, Matias Soule, Artem Dovbyk, and Evan Ferguson all remaining unavailable.
Consequently, Gasperini will likely rely heavily on January signings Donyell Malen and Robinio Vaz, who are tipped to start together upfront against Lecce. Neil El Aynaoui is expected to step into midfield, filling in for the injured Kone.
Despite their 2-1 loss to Napoli last weekend, Lecce is anticipated to maintain largely the same lineup. However, Omri Gandelman might be introduced into the midfield.
The match is scheduled to kick off at 17:00 GMT.
Probable Lineups for Roma vs. Lecce
Roma (3-4-1-2): Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Ghilardi; Celik, El Aynaoui, Cristante, Tsimikas; Pellegrini; Vaz, Malen.
Lecce (4-2-3-1): Falcone; Veiga, Siebert, Gabriel, Gallo; Gandelman, Ramadani; Pierotti, Ngom, Banda; Stulic.
Where to Watch Roma vs. Lecce
In the UK, viewers can watch the game live on DAZN. For fans in the USA, Paramount+ will broadcast the match.
