Fiorentina-Lecce is a thrill ride

Looking at the table, it would seem like a direct clash. But while Lecce's main objective is staying up this season, Fiorentina was built for much higher goals. Yet they're stuck on four points, with no wins after their first nine games. The Giallorossi, on the other hand, are two points ahead, but are coming off back-to-back defeats against Udinese and Napoli, which require a change of pace.

In short, there's no shortage of ingredients that make Fiorentina-Lecce a very important match for both teams. For Fiorentina, sporting director Daniele Pradé, who terminated his contract with the club yesterday, called the match a "do or death" match. For the Giallorossi, Eusebio Di Francesco introduced the match by holding his team's name high: "We won't be the sacrificial victims. It's an important match for us, not just for Fiorentina. It's eleven against eleven. They have an experienced coach and a strong squad. We're coming off a good performance against Napoli and we'll take to the pitch fully charged, thanks in part to the motivation we got from the fans who came to cheer us on during the final training sessions. However, I also ask my players to be balanced, we're working on our certainties, trying to iron out those small details that make the difference. We need to improve, but that's inevitable. We're still at the start of the season, there's still a lot to do, but we've undoubtedly already shown significant signs of improvement. But don't be complacent, we can do much better, starting with this match."

Di Francesco isn't fooled by Fiorentina's current difficult situation: "A situation like this makes the match even more difficult, in my opinion. Both teams are desperate to get a result at all costs. On the other end of the pitch, we'll face experienced players like Dzeko and Kean, accustomed to dealing with even the most difficult situations. Ultimately, the pitch will provide the answers."

As for the unavailable players, Di Francesco has Sottil back but is without Pierret: "Sottil recently returned to the team; he played half an hour in the friendly against Nardò the other day, but it's hard to imagine him starting. Pierret has been struggling with back problems this week and hasn't trained in recent days. We'll talk about Marchwinski later, as he's not currently on the squad list."

As for the lineup, no changes are expected in defense or midfield, where the same formation that performed so well against Napoli is expected to be maintained. In midfield, however, the Giallorossi coach is intrigued by the idea of ​​reintroducing Maleh, possibly even from the starting lineup: "He could be one of the key players in the match, either from the start or during the game. It's a positive thing for a coach to have doubts." In attack, however, the back-and-forth between Stulic and Camarda is recurring, the latter being the unfortunate protagonist in the match against Napoli with his penalty miss. "Stulic is a player who has proven he knows how to score," says Di Francesco, "but if he focuses solely on scoring, he's making a huge mistake. He has to get us up the pitch, keep the ball, and clear up many situations. At the same time, he has to attack the goal with ferocity. The goal is a consequence of all of this. This also applies to Camarda. He really wanted to take that penalty; he was one of the penalty takers. When you step onto the pitch, your ID doesn't matter to me. I decided he should take it. There were two penalty takers on the pitch, including him. He took it and missed it, but only those who don't take penalties don't miss. Penalties, after all, are missed even at 30. Now he has to focus on the next match; there will be other opportunities for him."

Pierotti's option as a second striker, however, is relegated to certain situations during the game: "Pierotti is a winger, that's his role, then there are times when I've used him inside. During the game, we can try alternative solutions, depending on how the match is going."