Roma travel to Lecce looking to make a statement

All eyes will be on Lecce vs. Roma at the Via del Mare as Gasperini’s side look to build on their impressive 4-0 victory over Fiorentina. They aim to claim another three points and make an early statement in the Scudetto race. Lecce, however, also began the campaign with a win away against Venezia and can play with little pressure as they look to make further progress in their battle for survival.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

There have been 21 previous competitive meetings between the two sides in Lecce: 1 win for Lecce (4-2 in Serie A 2011/12), 9 draws (most recently 0-0 in Serie A 2023/24) and 11 wins for Roma (most recently 2-0 in Serie A 2025/26).

Lecce’s only win dates back to 7 April 2012: a 4-2 victory at the Via del Mare, with braces from Muriel and Di Michele for the hosts, while Bojan and Lamela scored for Roma.

Lecce have gone 353 minutes without scoring at home against Roma: their last goal came via an Ibanez own goal in the 7th minute of Lecce-Roma 1-1.

DID YOU KNOW?

Roma are unbeaten in their last 8 Serie A matches across the end of 2025/26 and the start of the new season: 7 wins and 1 draw. Their last defeat came on 5 April, Inter-Roma 5-2.

Roma have scored in each of their last 18 matches: 40 goals in total. Their last match without scoring came on 2 February 2026, in Udinese-Roma 1-0 in Serie A.

COACHES and PLAYERS

This will be the 22nd official meeting between Eusebio Di Francesco and Gian Piero Gasperini: in the previous 21, Gasperini recorded 12 wins, Di Francesco 4, with 5 draws.

Eusebio Di Francesco faces one of his former clubs: he coached Roma from July 2017 to March 2019, taking charge of 87 competitive matches with 46 wins, 18 draws and 23 defeats. He also played for the Giallorossi from 1997/98 to 2000/01, making 129 appearances and scoring 16 goals, while winning the Scudetto in 2000/01.

Gian Piero Gasperini is the oldest of the 20 coaches in the 2026/27 Serie A and the one with the most matches managed in the Italian top flight (638). He is 6 appearances away from fourth place in the all-time ranking of coaches in the single-group Serie A era, currently held by Nils Liedholm on 644, who won Roma’s second Scudetto in 1982/83.

Olaf Gorter scored against Venezia: it was the 2005-born player’s first goal in Italy, on his fifth appearance for Lecce.

Donyell Malen scored against Fiorentina: no player has scored more Serie A goals since January (17). The Dutchman has played 1,622 minutes in the competition, averaging 1 goal every 95 minutes. It was his second Serie A hat-trick, after the one he scored against Pisa last April.

Among players currently active in the 2026/27 Serie A, Paulo Dybala has scored the most league goals in August (9). The overall podium is led by Ciro Immobile (14), followed by Dusan Vlahovic (11) and Andrea Belotti (10).

DISCIPLINE 

Suspended: none

Cautioned: none 

REFEREE

CHIFFI (IMPERIALE - CECCONI) IV: DI BELLO, VAR: DI PAOLO, AVAR: PAGANESSI

UPCOMING MATCHES

Cagliari-Lecce (7/9, 18.30)

Roma-Atalanta (5/9, 20.45)

(Photo Getty Images)