Parma vs Lecce 14/01/20

14 January 2020

Parma and Lecce will face off at the Stadio Ennio Tardini, with the traveling team seeking only their second Serie A (SA) win over the Crusaders in the 21st century (W1, D6, L8).

Parma’s dip in form has seen them go from back-to-back SA triumphs to two successive games without a win, but the hosts still sit just four points adrift of sixth-placed Atalanta. However, the Crusaders have endured mixed fortunes when at home this term (W4, D1, L4), with two of those defeats coming in the last four SA home matches (W1, D1). Curiously, all four of those games during the four-game sequence have featured under 2.5 goals, with just one of them seeing both teams score. Roberto D’Aversa’s men will have to improve their home form to walk away with three points against a Lecce side they’ve failed to beat in both of their previous top-flight home H2Hs (D1, L1). Another potential worry for Parma is that they’ve failed to find the net inside the first 45 minutes in each of their last four SA home games, with three of those first halves ending with the same 0-0 score.

Meanwhile, the visitors enter this round frantically looking over their shoulders, as they currently hover only one point clear of the relegation territory. That’s mainly thanks to their recent drop off in form that saw Lecce suffer three consecutive SA defeats ahead of this trip. While two of those failures witnessed Lecce concede precisely three goals per match, two of their last losses have come via a single-goal margin. What’s more, the Salentians have picked up just one win in their previous six SA road trips (D2, L3), with half of those fixtures (3) producing over 3.5 goals and seeing both teams score. Nonetheless, 73% of their total SA points have come away from home (11 of 15), where Lecce also grabbed all three of their league triumphs so far this season.