Serie A

Lecce vs Frosinone to stave off the relegation

Following stellar starts to the Serie A TIM season, Lecce and Frosinone are both on the hunt for another win, which would lift them further away from the relegation zone

Lecce and Frosinone face off at the Via del Mare on matchday 16 in Serie A TIM. Both sides are looking for points and will be hoping to take all three points, which lift them ever closer to safety and set them on the way to ending 2023 on a high. The hosts haven’t won since 22 September (1-0 vs. Genoa) but have drawn each of their last four games: against AC Milan, Verona, Bologna and Empoli. As such, they have maintained a healthy gap between themselves and the relegation places. With two points more (19), we have Frosinone, who are almost halfway between the relegation battle and the fight for European football. Should they take all three points home with them from the heel of Italy, Eusebio di Francesco’s side, fresh from their goalless draw with Torino, could seriously begin to think about aiming for a top-half finish.

DID YOU KNOW?

Only Udinese (nine) have drawn more matches than Lecce (eight) in the big five European leagues this season, including the last four. Only once have they registered more consecutive draws in their history in Serie A: five between May and June 1989 under Carlo Mazzone. Only Newcastle (-16) recorded a larger negative difference than Frosinone (-15) between the points gained in away matches compared to the points in home games this season in the big five European leagues: the Ciociari gained only two points in seven away matches, compared to 17 points earned in eight games at Stirpe stadium.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

This is the first Serie A meeting between Lecce and Frosinone. The Salento team haven’t lost in eight of their 10 Serie B games against the Ciociari (W6 D2), winning the most recent one (1-0 on 2nd April 2022 at the Via Del Mare stadium). Lecce have kept three clean sheets in their last three league matches against Frosinone, all in Serie B between 2021 and 2022 (W2 D1), as many clean sheets for the Giallorossi in the previous seven matches in Serie B against the Ciociari

PLAYERS

Frosinone (24 years and 229 days) and Lecce (24 years and 327 days) are the two teams with the lowest average age in Serie A this season, considering the players with at least one minute played. Lecce’s Lameck Banda is one of only four players born since 2001 to have scored at least four goals and provided at least four assists in the last two Serie A seasons (with Samardzic, Zirkzee and Kvaratskhelia). Matías Soulé has scored six goals in the current league season, only three Frosinone players have netted more goals in a single Serie A campaign: Camillo Ciano (seven in 2018/19), Daniel Ciofani and Federico Dionisi (both nine in 2015/16). The Argentinian is also the player with the most chances created (38) and the most dribbles completed (58) in Serie A in 2023/24.

DISCIPLINE

Suspended: none Cautioned: Pongracic, Dorgu e Rafia (Lecce); Okoli e Oyono (Frosinone)

REFEREE

Zufferli (Liberti-Ceccon), IV: Camplone, VAR: Mazzoleni, AVAR: Di Vuolo

UPCOMING MATCHES IN SERIE A TIM

Inter-Lecce (Saturday 23 December, 18:00 CET) Frosinone-Juventus (Saturday 23 December, 12:30 CET) (Photo Getty Images)