Roma face Lecce to restart

Lecce and Roma meet at the Via del Mare. The home side, who will make up their postponed match against Inter on 14 January, are aiming for more points after the draw in Turin against Juventus. Roma, meanwhile, close out their first half of the season. Gasperini’s team have collected six points from the last six matches and are eager to move on from last week’s defeat to Atalanta.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

In Lecce, there have been 20 official meetings between the two teams: 1 victory for the home side (4-2 in Serie A 2011/12), 9 draws (latest 0-0 in Serie A 2023/24), and 10 Roma victories (latest 0-1 in Serie A last year).

The only Apulians victory dates back to April 7, 2012, 4-2 with braces from Muriel and Di Michele for the home side, Bojan and Lamela scoring for Roma.

DID YOU KNOW?

At Via del Mare, the least prolific attack in Serie A 2025/26 (12 goals scored by Lecce, same as Parma) faces the most solid defense (Roma, 12 goals conceded, like Como).

Roma is on 33 points after 18 matches: that's already 10 more than the first half of the 2024/25 season, which ended at 23 points, and 4 more than the 2023/24 season, when they finished at 29.

COACHES and PLAYERS

Eusebio Di Francesco is the ex of the day: he coached Roma from July 2017 to March 2019, totaling 87 official matches on the bench, with 46 wins, 18 draws, and 23 defeats, after wearing the Roma jersey from 1997/98 to 2000/01, with 129 appearances and 16 goals in official matches and winning the Scudetto in 2000/01.

DISCIPLINE 

Suspended: Hermoso, Mancini (Roma)

Cautioned: Veiga, Ramadani (Lecce); Wesley, Cristante (Roma)

REFEREES

SACCHI J.L. (MOKHTAR – CAVALLINA) IV: TREMOLADA, VAR: GARIGLIO, AVAR: CHIFFI

UPCOMING MATCHES

Lecce-Parma (Sunday January 11, 12.30 CET)

Roma-Sassuolo (Saturday January 10, 18.00 CET)

(Photo Getty Images)