After extending their unbeaten run by holding the champions last week, Lecce visit Serie A strugglers Hellas Verona on Saturday.
The Giallosrossi's 2-2 draw with Milan means their last competitive loss came back in October, but Hellas are some seven points adrift of safety with nearly half the season played.
Match preview
© Reuters
Following their meek submission to Inter last Saturday, when they fell behind within three minutes at San Siro before the hosts cruised through the rest of the match, Verona kick off their 18th league fixture of the campaign occupying 18th place in the Serie A standings.
Only winless Cremonese have taken fewer points so far, and 90 minutes shy of the season's midpoint, the Scaligeri are on track for demotion: the club's second-lowest points total at this stage attests to that.
Since the mid-90s, only one team has avoided relegation having posted a single-figure points tally at the halfway stage - Crotone in 2017, who also had nine - so making the most of home advantage is surely a must for an increasingly desperate side.
In their most recent outing at Stadio Bentegodi, Marco Zaffaroni's men picked up just a second victory of the season to move off the foot of the table - and they now seek successive home wins for the first time since February of last year.
Standing in their way are a club Verona have not lost to in the pair's last five top-flight meetings - having won both of the last two - and they have never lost to Lecce in a Serie A home game at all.
© Reuters
The visitors, though, are intent on ending that lack of success at the Bentegodi, as they arrive in Verona amid their best run of results since being promoted to Calcio's top tier as Serie B champions.
Unbeaten in their last six league matches, while winning three times in the process, Lecce last went longer without defeat in Serie A back in early 2004.
Over the six most recent rounds - either side of the World Cup break - only three teams have picked up more points. Indeed, the Giallorossi's total ties that of Scudetto-holders Milan, who they came so close to upsetting at Stadio Via del Mare last weekend.
Having beaten Lazio and drawn with Spezia since returning to competitive action earlier this month, Marco Baroni's men surged into a two-goal lead against their title-chasing opponents - through a Theo Hernandez own goal and an unlikely strike from burly defender Federico Baschirotto - but the Rossoneri's second-half fightback ultimately saw the spoils shared.
Nonetheless, Lecce have accrued 20 points so far, and with victory over Verona would bring about their second-highest total from the first half of a Serie A season. They tend to keep things tight when on the road, too, so may be confident of prolonging such promising form.
Team News
Verona will be without injured captain Marco Faraoni (thigh) until later this month, while the participation of both Martin Hongla (also thigh) and Simone Verdi (muscular) is in doubt ahead of Saturday's game.
Young striker Jayden Braaf - recently signed on loan from Borussia Dortmund - should be available, but Marco Zaffaroni is expected to name a similar team to that which was edged out by Inter.
Therefore, Milan Djuric spearheads the Gialloblu attack again, though there could be a tussle for places in midfield between Adrien Tameze, Ibrahim Sulemana and veteran Miguel Veloso.
Meanwhile, Lecce are relatively free of fitness worries and are likely to stick with most of the XI which gave Milan such a scare - if not all.
Only defensive duo Kastriot Dermaku (thigh) and Marin Pongracic (ankle) are set to miss the trip to Veneto, and the latter has been pencilled in for surgery which may see him sidelined until April.
Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:
Montipo; Dawidowicz, Hien, Ceccherini; Depaoli, Ilic, Tameze, Doig; Lazovic, Kallon; Djuric
Lecce possible starting lineup:
Falcone; Gendrey, Baschirotto, Umtiti, Gallo; Blin, Hjulmand, Gonzalez; Strefezza, Colombo, Di Francesco
We say: Hellas Verona 2-1 Lecce
Nine of Verona's 10 home goals in Serie A this season have come in the first half of fixtures, and they may need such a good start against in-form opposition. Since Marco Zaffaroni's arrival, though, the Hellas ship has been steadied a little, and a second win from three can help claw them closer to safety.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
