Venezia and Lecce begin their Serie A campaigns at the Stadio Penzo in what already feels like an early lower-table meeting. With no competitive minutes this season, both Giovanni Stroppa and Eusebio Di Francesco will be eager for their revamped squads to gel quickly. The hosts…
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Sign inVenezia kick off their 2026/27 Serie A campaign by hosting Lecce at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo on Sunday, 23 August, with kick-off set for 18:30 local time. The newly-promoted Lagunari, back in the top flight after winning Serie B, have been busy in the transfer market and will be eager to make a strong start against a Lecce side that narrowly avoided relegation last season.
Venezia have made striker Akor Adams their club-record signing and will likely hand him a debut alongside new defenders Redouane Halhal, Armel Bella-Kotchap and Matias Moreno. Midfielders Simon Sohm and Toma Basic have also arrived, but Giovanni Stroppa will be without Marin Sverko and Andrea Adorante, who are both sidelined. Lecce coach Eusebio Di Francesco has a settled core, with Wladimiro Falcone in goal and Kialonda Gaspar, Tiago Gabriel, Danilo Veiga and Antonino Gallo forming the back line. Midfielder Medon Berisha has been following an individual training programme, making his availability uncertain, while Lassana Coulibaly remains key for physical balance. Lecce face Palermo in the Coppa Italia before this fixture, so Di Francesco may use that match to assess final fitness and shape.
After suffering immediate relegation in their last two Serie A campaigns, Venezia bounced straight back by pipping Frosinone to the Serie B title. Stroppa has reshaped the squad with an eye on survival, and pre-season results offered encouragement – an impressive 3-0 win over Galatasaray was followed by a narrow 4-3 defeat to Saint-Etienne and a 2-2 draw with Brest. The Lagunari have not beaten Lecce at home in their most recent Serie A meetings, losing 1-0 in November 2024 and last tasting victory on home soil back in the 2020/21 Serie B promotion race.
Lecce preserved their Serie A status on the final day of last season, Lameck Banda scoring early in a 1-0 win over Genoa. Di Francesco has stuck largely with the 4-3-3 shape that served them well in the run-in. The midfield has undergone some change over the summer, yet Coulibaly’s destructiveness and the creativity Berisha offers—if fit—will be crucial. The trip to Venice comes just days after their Coppa Italia tie against Palermo, so recovery and rotation will be factors.
Venezia’s new attacking spearhead, Akor Adams, will be thrown straight into the fray and should test a Lecce backline that showed resilience late last season. How quickly the Nigerian striker gels with the likes of Gianluca Busio and Alfred Duncan in midfield could decide whether Venezia can break down a well-drilled defensive unit. The return of Danilo Veiga at left-back gives Lecce extra experience, and the duel between Adams and Kialonda Gaspar in the air could be one to watch.
Both sides view the opening day as a chance to set an early tone. Venezia then travel to the San Siro to face AC Milan on 28 August, while Lecce will look to build momentum at home after this tricky away start.
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