Venezia vs Lecce Match Preview

Venezia finished the regular season at the 5th place with 59 points and it was a poor end as in the last five matches they collected a single win three draws and a loss. In the first play off game they played against Chievo where the regular time ended in a 1-1 draw and they even risked losing but managed to pull off a lucky comeback in extra time after going down 1-2. During the regular season they did not show a very solid defense and from the top 8 teams they had the 6th worst defense having conceded 39 goals while scoring 53. In the last five matches they failed to keep a clean sheet in four occasions and including the game against Chievo now they have conceded 8 goals in the last six games.

Lecce on the other hand finished the regular season at the 4th place with 62 points and they had a bad end of the season too with a single win a draw and three losses in the last five duels. This negative streak did not allow them to earn a direct promotion ticket by finishing second but at least they went to the play off semis which means they had extra days to rest and prepare while Venezia had to play against Chievo. With 68 goals scored they had the best offensive side alongside Empoli which was the league leader. They had the best scorer as Coda ended the season with 22 goals and will lead the attack again for them while backed up by Stepinski and Henderson.

In conclusion I think Lecce can manage to cover +0.5 goals Asian handicap here. They are a better team than their rivals and despite not finishing strong the regular season they still have plenty of quality upfront. I guess being on the road they would be happy even with a draw and wait for the return leg at home. Venezia should struggle defensively here as I mentioned before and having to face the best attack of the season will not help.