The matchday 26 Serie A clash between Lecce and Inter will take place on 21 February at the Via del Mare Stadium. Lecce vs Inter: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Lecce
Despite the last two matchdays, with victories that enabled Lecce to climb out of the relegation zone and move up to 17th in the standings, the team’s situation has barely changed. The club, led by Eusebio Di Francesco, are still hovering just above the drop. However, it is worth noting that Lecce have clearly improved: in last round’s match they proved too strong for Cagliari, beating the Sardinians on their own ground 2:0, and before that they defeated Udinese Calcio 2:0. Despite those four goals, the home team are hard to describe as prolific: at the moment they sit bottom of the league for goals scored, with just 17 goals in 25 matches.
No more than three goals have been scored in 10 of the club’s previous home league matches.
Lecce have conceded in five of their last seven home Serie A games.
In six of the team’s last eight matches in this tournament, at least one side failed to score.
Potential Lecce Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Wladimiro Falcone – Danilo Veiga, Kialonda Gaspar, Thiago Gabriel, Antonino Gallo – Ylber Ramadani, Lassana Coulibaly – Santiago Pierotti, Omri Gandelman, Riccardo Sottil – Walid Cheddira
Midfielder Medon Berisha and forward Francesco Camarda will miss the game through injury. Forward Lameck Banda is suspended.
Inter
Inter’s fantastic win in the last round, when the Milan side came out on top against Juventus 3:2, allows Cristian Chivu’s team not to look over their shoulder at the chasing pack. In the league, the club sit top with 61 points. Despite a packed schedule, the club have remained consistent in the league. The statistics back that up: after 25 matches, Inter have scored 60 goals – an average of 2.38 per game, which is impressive. At the same time, the visitors’ defence has also been performing to a high standard, with opponents finding the net only 21 times.
Inter have won their last eight away league matches.
Inter have scored in 13 consecutive Serie A matches.
No more than three goals have been scored in seven of the team’s last eight away matches in this tournament.
Potential Inter Lineup (3-5-2)*
Yann Sommer – Yann Bisseck, Manuel Akanji, Alessandro Bastoni – Luis Enrique, Nicolo Barella, Piotr Zielinski, Petar Sucic, Federico Dimarco – Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram
Midfielders Denzel Dumfries, Hakan Calhanoglu and Davide Frattesi will be unavailable due to injuries. Midfielder Nicolo Barella is suspended.
Referee
Gianluca Manganiello (Italy)
Matches – 7 (Serie A, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 20;
Average yellow cards per match – 2.9;
Red cards shown – 0;
Fouls per match (average) – 27;
Penalties – 14%.
Lecce vs Inter: Match Prediction
For the Milan club, the meeting with Lecce is another opportunity to strengthen their position in the title race. This season, the team have suffered only four defeats, with three of those coming against direct rivals – Napoli, Juventus and Milan. However, there was also an unexpected result: in matchday two, Cristian Chivu’s side lost at home to Udinese Calcio 1:2. Despite the form Inter are in and their strong performances across all competitions, it will be impossible to go through the entire campaign without any slip-ups. With that in mind, rotation cannot be ruled out in the upcoming match – it would help preserve the energy of key players ahead of the Champions League second leg.
Matches of this kind often spring surprises, and the outcome can be far from predictable. Lecce are fighting desperately for survival in the league. At the same time, they have suffered a heavy home defeat only once all season – in the rest of their matches they have lost by a margin of one or two goals. Every game for the club is a chance to keep their place in the league for next season.
It is possible that the hosts are capable of picking up the points they so desperately need against serious opposition, but it is still preferable to consider a less risky option.
Prediction: Lecce (+1)
* For each team, the starting XI listed is from its previous match in this competition.
