Serie A official line-ups: Lecce vs. Fiorentina
Fiorentina start Albert Gudmundsson, Jack Harrison and Dodo in the huge relegation battle, but Lecce pull quite a few surprises.
It kicks off at the Stadio Via del Mare at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.
This could be a decisive crossroads in the fight to avoid relegation, because with Pisa and Verona practically doomed, there is just one more spot left to go down.
A victory here could definitively drag the Viola out of danger, whereas a win can propel Lecce out of the bottom three and leapfrog Cremonese.
It has been a tough few days for Fiorentina, who beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on Thursday in the Conference League quarter-final, but were still eliminated 4-2 on aggregate.
Moise Kean is still out of action with that recurring ankle issue, plus Fabiano Parisi, Nicolò Fortini and Tariq Lamptey didn’t make the trip.
Gudmundsson and Fagioli were suspended for last week’s game with Lazio, so they return here, while Dodo was banned for the Crystal Palace match.
Fiorentina are unbeaten in five Serie A rounds, winning three of the last four and holding leaders Inter to a draw.
Roberto Piccoli has to keep leading the attack and hopes fatigue doesn’t start to set in.
Lecce have plummeted down the standings after six defeats in seven rounds, broken only by what could yet be a decisive 2-1 win over Cremonese on March 8.
Francesco Camarda, Riccardo Sottil, Kialonda Gaspar, Sadik Fofana and Medon Berisha are still on the treatment table.
Santiago Pierotti was struggling with flu symptoms this week, but starts anyway, amid a lot of surprising picks.
Antonino Gallo return to the starting XI under coach Eusebio Di Francesco, but there are radical changes with Walid Cheddira and Konan N’Dri getting rare starts upfront.
Lecce won 1-0 away to Fiorentina in November thanks to a Berisha goal, while the Viola’s last trip to the Stadio Via Del Mare ended 6-0 in October 2024.
Lecce vs. Fiorentina line-ups
Lecce: Falcone; Veiga, Siebert, Tiago Gabriel, Gallo; Ngom, Ramadani, Coulibaly; Pierotti, Cheddira, N’Dri
Fiorentina: De Gea; Dodo, Pongracic, Ranieri, Gosens; Mandragora, Fagioli, Ndour; Harrison, Piccoli, Gudmundsson
