Preview · Serie A

Juventus, eight players injured, go to Lecce after a week that kept Spalletti silent

Juventus were beaten 3-0 at home by Lazio last weekend and Spalletti skipped his press conference. Lecce won 3-0 at Udinese last time out but have not beaten Juventus in five meetings.

An aerial view of the empty Stadio Via del Mare, with the club's name picked out in the seats of the far stand.
The Stadio Via del Mare in Lecce from the air in August 2023. Photo: ParisTaras / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Luciano Spalletti did not hold a press conference before Juventus's trip to Lecce, and the week explains why. Juventus have gone two Serie A matches without a win, the second a 3-0 home defeat by Lazio, and on Thursday a late Lucumì goal against Rennes was ruled out by VAR, leaving them with a 2-2 draw. "If I don't win matches, I'm not happy," Spalletti said afterwards.

Juventus have the slightly better chance with two goals or fewer in all.

He has eight players injured: Celik and Nico González with muscle strains that will keep them out for around three weeks, Francisco Conceição with a dislocated shoulder, Kenan Yildiz with a broken bone in his foot, and Manuel Locatelli, Khéphren Thuram, Ekhator and Grabara on longer absences. Bremer may be rested.

Lecce are twelfth after a 3-0 win at Udinese, their best result of the season. Eusebio Di Francesco is without Ilić, who has surgery on a thigh tendon on Tuesday, Pierotti, out until January with a broken ankle, Coulibaly and Berisha.

Juventus are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Lecce, three wins and two draws, and won 1-0 at the Via del Mare in May.