Seven weeks after his dismissal, Alessandro Nesta returns as Monza boss when the Biancorossi host Lecce in Sunday's Serie A action at the U-Power Stadium.
The two-time Champions League-winning defender was rehired this week, replacing Salvatore Bocchetti, and the cellar-dwelling hosts aim to end a four-match losing run in this weekend's gameweek 25 encounter against an opponent they have never beaten in the top flight.
Match preview
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Monza's 5-1 defeat was so bad that the club's hierarchy jettisoned Nesta's replacement to rehire the former centre-back, dismissed before Christmas after winning one Serie A game in 17 attempts.
Bocchetti's results were worse, with the Brianzoli losing six of seven top-flight fixtures under the sacked boss, even though there was a commendable 2-1 success over Fiorentina on January 13; however, that anomalous victory — the Biancorossi's second in Serie A — was a false dawn for the bottom-placed club.
Four defeats have followed for Monza, leaving them on 13 points and eight points from safety heading into round 25, highlighting the uphill challenge for Nesta in the concluding months of 2024-25.
The former centre-back's first task is to register a third league win this term to take the team with the fewest victories in the top-five European leagues — level with Premier League side Southampton and Bundesliga outfit VfL Bochum — to possibly move level on points with 19th-placed Venezia at the end of the round if the latter are beaten at Genoa.
That outcome will be far from straightforward against a Lecce side on a two-match unbeaten run in Serie A and one that Monza have not defeated in five previous Serie A match-ups.
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Although the Salentini have secured only two victories in their five top-flight encounters, including a 2-1 triumph in the reverse fixture in mid-December, Lupi also claimed wins in their final two matches in Serie B in 2021-22, highlighting the Apulia outfit's dominance in this fixture.
Marco Giampaolo's men commendably kept out Europe-chasing Bologna last time out to record their first clean sheet since a goalless encounter with Genoa at the start of 2025 and seek to extend their ongoing undefeated run to three.
With Lecce's last two league victories coming away from home — the Wolves secured two 3-1 successes over Empoli and Parma in January — the Salentini aim to notch maximum points for the third time in four on their travels and in consecutive matches on the road since beating Cremonese and Atalanta BC in February 2023.
While the 14th-placed team are not out of the relegation conversation — Lecce are only four points clear of Parma in 18th — visiting the league's worst side offers Giampaolo's side the chance to create separation from the bottom three.
Team News
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Nesta has a glut of injury worries to deal with on his return to the job, with Danilo D'Ambrosio, Gianluca Caprari, Luca Caldirola, Roberto Gagliardini and Samuele Birindelli expected to miss out; Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro, Matteo Pessina and Stefano Turati will be assessed before Sunday's fixture.
With the Biancorossi's second top scorer, Daniel Maldini, no longer at the club after signing for Atalanta, the attacking onus rests on four-goal man and leading goalscorer Dany Mota to take responsibility against Sunday's opponents; however, Mota has never scored or assisted against Lecce in 305 minutes of league play and has failed to add to his four top-flight strikes since notching a brace against Hellas Verona in October.
Although Lecce do not have as many injury worries, the Salentini will make late checks on Kialonda Gaspar, Lameck Banda and Medon Berisha before gameweek 25's Lombardy visit, while Filip Marchwinski is a confirmed absentee due to a severe knee issue.
Nikola Krstovic has been pivotal to the Wolves' last two away wins, scoring and setting up two in the 3-1 win at Parma and notching a brace in success at Empoli, and Lupi's top scorer will back himself to add to his seven Serie A strikes on Sunday.
Only three players have outdone Krstovic's three match-winning goals in the top flight in 24-25 — Inter's Romelu Lukaku (five), Torino's Che Adams (four) and Atalanta's Mateo Retegui (four) — underscoring the seven-goal striker's importance for the away side.
Monza possible starting lineup:
Pizzignacco; Izzo, Lekovic, Palacios; Pereira, Urbanski, Bianco, Kyriakopoulos; Ciurria, Mota; Ganvoula
Lecce possible starting lineup:
Falcone; Guilbert, Baschirotto, Jean, Gallo; Pierret, Ramadani; Pierotti, Helgason, Morente; Krstovic
We say: Monza 1-2 Lecce
Although three of the pair's five Serie A matches ended in draws, Lecce will back themselves to record a third top-flight success despite Nesta's Monza return.
Krstovic's recent form in away games and Lupi's expertise against bottom-half teams — the Salentini have accrued 22 points from 12 such games — mean Giampaolo's side could eke out a marginal success in Lombardy.
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