Continuing their quest to retain the Serie A title, Inter Milan will meet lowly Lecce at Stadio Via del Mare on Sunday evening.
While second-placed Inter have scored the most goals in Italy's top flight this season, their hosts have recorded the fewest, so the Salentini start long-shot outsiders.
Match preview
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Closing in on automatic qualification for the last 16, Inter resumed their Champions League campaign on Wednesday, when they saw off struggling Sparta Prague.
The Nerazzurri's 1-0 win, secured thanks to an early strike from captain Lautaro Martinez, took them onto 16 points from seven games and puts them on track to avoid the playoffs - a home draw against Monaco next week would seal the deal.
This season, Simone Inzaghi's side have lost just three of 30 matches across all competitions: twice being beaten by AC Milan either side of their sole European loss to German champions Bayer Leverkusen.
Since letting a two-goal lead slip against their city rivals in the Supercoppa Italiana final, Inter have bounced back by adding seven points to their impressive Serie A total.
Also into the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, the Scudetto holders are unbeaten in 15 league matches, leaving them tucked in behind leaders Napoli with two games in hand.
Last week, Martinez opened the scoring in a 3-1 home win over Empoli, which followed a landmark victory over Venezia: the latter was their sixth consecutive away victory in Serie A without conceding, setting a new club best.
Only Milan - with a run of eight between November 1993 and March 1994 - have ever put a better sequence together, but Inter could match that as the 'away' side in next week's Derby della Madonnina.
First, they must take care of business against Lecce, who they have beaten by scoring at least twice and keeping a clean sheet in all of the clubs' last four meetings.
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Heading into Sunday's clash, Lecce have won only one of their last eight league matches against Inter at Via del Mare - and none since January 2012.
As is often the case for the southern side, they will again encounter the second-city giants amid a scrap for Serie A survival - this time, they are one of 10 teams inside the bottom half of the table that are still in danger.
After the Giallorossi recently climbed out of the drop zone at Cagliari's expense, they were leapfrogged by their relegation rivals last weekend, when they led in Sardinia before completely imploding.
Santiago Pierotti gave Lecce the lead just before half time, but they then conceded twice either side of a red card for Ante Rebic, emphatically ending a bright start for new boss Marco Giampaolo.
Since the ex-Milan manager arrived, he has stabilised the Salentini, who have lost just one of their last six home games; however, they remain the league's lowest scorers with just 15 goals from 21 matches.
Team News
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Inter are still without influential midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu due to a thigh injury, and veteran centre-back Francesco Acerbi has returned to the treatment room, but Yann Bisseck recently resumed training and may take a place on the bench.
Simone Inzaghi has often rotated his strikers - and could do so again, given upcoming clashes with Monaco and Milan - but Lautaro Martinez is likely to start after rediscovering his old form in front of goal.
'El Toro' has scored in his last three appearances and could now find the net in three straight Serie A games for the first time since February 2024 - a month in which he bagged a brace at Via del Mare.
Meanwhile, Marco Giampaolo will welcome back Antonino Gallo from injury this weekend, so highly coveted winger Patrick Dorgu should shift forward to rejoin Lecce's attacking trident, alongside Nikola Krstovic and Tete Morente.
The latter pair have scored seven of the Salentini's last eight league goals; this season, they are responsible for some 60% of their club's Serie A strikes.
In addition to suspended forward Ante Rebic, the hosts are still missing Hamza Rafia, Medon Berisha, Kialonda Gaspar and Lameck Banda through injury.
Lecce possible starting lineup:
Falcone; Guilbert, Baschirotto, Jean, Gallo; Helgason, Coulibaly, Pierret; Dorgu, Krstovic, Morente
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Frattesi, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Augusto; Martinez, Thuram
We say: Lecce 0-2 Inter Milan
Simone Inzaghi should reach 200 Serie A wins after 331 games - which would surpass the record currently held by Max Allegri (338) - as Inter are set for a Sunday stroll to victory.
Even if Lecce can initially keep their visitors at arm's length, they have conceded the most goals after half time this season; meanwhile, Inter rank first for goals scored during the second half.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
