Lecce's heavily rotated lineup — five regulars missing — faces a Roma side that has dominated this fixture historically, winning eight of the last ten meetings without Lecce ever tasting victory. Roma's own squad rotation is significant but their depth is far superior, with…
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Sign inLecce host AS Roma on Monday evening in Serie A’s second round, looking to build on their opening-weekend result. The Giallorossi arrive with several selection issues after a mixed pre-season and a tense curtain-raiser against Fiorentina, and they will need to be sharper in the final third to break down a stubborn home side.
Club captain Lorenzo Pellegrini remains sidelined until September with a lingering fitness problem, meaning Gian Piero Gasperini must again pick a midfield without his skipper. On the right, high-profile summer signing Nahuel Molina will make his second Serie A start after his competitive debut against Fiorentina, while Wesley has overcome the ankle sprain that troubled him late in pre-season and is expected to hold his place on the opposite flank.
Gasperini told reporters that World Cup returnees Evan N’Dicka and Donyell Malen needed time to regain full sharpness. “Ndicka’s physique allows him to recover quite quickly. He looked good in our last friendly against Dortmund,” the coach said, while noting that Malen was more affected psychologically but “playing for Roma and feeling important for this team will help him to get back to his best.” Manu Koné, the last to rejoin the group, is also available after impressing in the late friendlies.
The biggest uncertainty remains in the attacking midfield pocket. Paulo Dybala is untouchable in a dazzling run of form, but Matías Soulé is being intensely pushed by teenage signing Rodrigo Mora, who has already made Gasperini’s bench and is craving a first Serie A start. The tussle for that creative licence could determine how fluently Roma open up Lecce’s low block.
Roma’s warm-up results were erratic. They surrendered a lead in a chaotic 3-3 draw with Cannes, were beaten heavily by Cardiff City and then Brighton, but they also thrashed Newport County 4-1 and held Borussia Dortmund to a competitive 2-2 draw. The Fiorentina opener provided a first taste of competitive tempo, and Gasperini will expect his structured 3-4-2-1 to regain the compactness it showed in the second half of last season, when a direct Champions League spot was secured.
Lecce have traditionally made life awkward for the capital club at home. Roma failed to win on their last two visits to Puglia – a 0-0 stalemate last season and a 1-1 draw the year before. The Salentini are unlikely to alter their compact, counter-attacking approach, flooding central areas and inviting the visitors to break them down. With the Stadio Via del Mare crowd generating an intense atmosphere, the opening half-hour could be a test of patience for Dybala and company.
Soulé’s ability to drift between the lines and link with Malen gave Roma a lively threat last year, but Mora’s arrival has introduced genuine competition. Gasperini admitted the decision is finely balanced, and the teenager’s hunger could earn him a first start if the Argentine is rotated. Whoever gets the nod will need to find pockets of space behind Lecce’s screening midfielders, because a narrow shape tends to suffocate the half-spaces where Roma’s creators thrive.
With points at a premium early in the campaign, both sides will be eager to put down a marker before the September international break. The contest may hinge on which version of Roma’s attack turns up – the explosive unit that tore through Newport or the wasteful one that stumbled at Brighton.
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