Lecce vs Internazionale 19/01/20

19 January 2020

Internazionale will be looking to return to the winning ways in Serie A (SA) when they lock horns with a struggling Lecce side at the Stadio Via del Mare this weekend.

Four successive defeats in the build-up to this encounter means the hosts are hovering only one point clear of the relegation zone and have yet to pick up a single home wins this season (D4, L5). Curiously, while three of their four SA home draws this term ended with the identical 2-2 scoreline, four of their five defeats at this venue have come via a single-goal margin. Fabio Liverani will be desperate to see his side enter the match faster than usual, as the Salentians so far managed just one opening goal in nine SA home fixtures this campaign. Also, except for a heroic 1-1 draw with Juventus, the returnees have lost both of their other home clashes against the last season’s top-four sides, conceding a goal inside the opening 11 minutes of the second half on all three of those occasions.

The visitors bounced back after a 1-1 home draw with Atalanta, brushing aside Cagliari 4-1 in the Coppa Italia during the midweek, and they will be looking to maintain that momentum here. Although the Nerazzurri have failed to pick up three points in their last two top-flight trips to Lecce (D1, L1), they have an impressive away record to rely on now. Indeed, the Milanese giants have won eight of nine SA away fixtures this season, with a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina being a lone exception. Notably, Antonio Conte’s men have scored two or more goals in all eight of those successes, with seven of them seeing Inter open the scoring. The one potential worry for the traveling fans could be that 56% of the SA goals the Nerazzurri have shipped so far have come on the road (nine of 16).