Lecce vs. Sampdoria 7/1/20 Serie A Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Lecce is hosting Sampdoria at Via del Mare in round 29 in Italian Serie A.

Lecce is in a terrible form, but of all the teams in the relegation zone, they are the closest to get out of it. With 25 points, Lecce is in 18th place, just 1 point away from safety. Lecce’s defense is the worst in Serie A, and they conceded massive 64 goals, which an average of way over two conceded goals. Their offense is the best of all the teams in the relegation zone, and Lecce has scored 35 goals. Lecce has lost both of their games since the restart, and they conceded 8 goals in those 2 games while scoring only 1 goal. In their last Serie A game against Juventus on the road, Lecce didn’t have a good time. They had only 365 of ball possession, 3 shots on goal, 4 corner kicks, and 81% of the correct passes. Lecce was hanging in there in the first half, but everything went downhill in the second half. Lecce has conceded 4 goals and has lost this match 4-0. Mancosu is Lecce’s top goalscorer with 9 goals, while Lapadula added 7 goals. Dell’Orco, Deiola, Lapadula, and Majer are all injured, while Lucioni is suspended because of the red card. Lecce has a good chance of getting outside the relegation zone, but they must start winning some points because, at this point, the only thing keeping them in the game are Sampdoria and Genoa losing their games.

Sampdoria is also one of those teams that are having a bad time since the restart. Sampdoria has played 3 games since the restart, and they lost all three of those while conceding 6 goals and scoring only 3 goals during this stretch. The only good thing for Sampdoria is that they have scored a goal in every one of those three games. Sampdoria is in 17th place with 26 points, just one point above the relegation zone, and their opponent in this game, Lecce. Sampdoria’s defense hasn’t been the worst in Serie A with 50 conceded goals, but their offense is bad with only 31 scored goals so far. Quagliarella is Sampdoria’s top goalscorer with 9 goals, while Gabbiadini added 7 goals. Ferrari and Tonelli are both injured, while Quagliarella is still questionable for this game. In their last Serie A game against Bologna at home, Sampdoria has had 43% of ball possession, 5 shots on goal, 13 corner kicks, and 71% of the correct passes.  Sampdoria’s agony is continuing as they lost this game 1-2. It’s not like Sampdoria was in a good form before the break, but this hiatus didn’t do any good to Sampdoria, and if they want to stay outside the relegation zone, Sampdoria must start winning points.

When Lecce and Sampdoria meet, goals are the only consistency, and I expect the same here. Lecce’s defense is a disaster, while Sampdoria is scoring goals consistently. Both teams could use a win, one to stay outside the relegation zone, and one to exit the relegation zone. I expect a lot of goals here.