Lecce vs Atalanta Prediction & Betting Tips (19 August)

Winner of Serie B in 2022, Lecce has been fighting hard to stay in the elite for two seasons. Last year, the team based in Puglia finished the championship coasting with no success acquired during the last 5 days. This did not prevent it from taking 14th place in Serie A with 3 points ahead of the first relegation place. For this 2024/2025 financial year, Lecce has no other ambition than to obtain the maintenance which will be difficult to obtain given the difficulties encountered recently, particularly during the pre-season period with three friendlies lost in four played against Galatasaray 2-1, Huddersfield 2-1 and Nice last 2-3. To its advantage during the previous exercise, Atalanta took 4th place in Serie A with 6 points ahead of the 6th. La Dea has therefore won the right to play in the Champions League this season. Last year, Gian Piero Gasperini's men also performed well in other competitions. Unhappy finalists in the Italian Cup, they won the Europa League following a success in the final against Bayer Leverkusen who had not lost a single match all season.

Thanks to this success, Gasperini's men participated in the UEFA Super Cup last Wednesday, facing the giant, Real Madrid and its four musketeers, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr and above all... Kylian Mbappé. Despite a very good first period in their style of play which characterizes them all-terrain pressure on 1 against 1, they logically gave up in the 2nd period and conceded two goals in quick succession through Valverde and Mbappé 2-0 defeat. Confident of its strength, Atalanta intends to play the leading roles this year and, why not, get closer to the fight for the Scudetto.

For Lecce, we must mention the important departures of senior defender Pongracic (Fiorentina), winger Strefezza (Como) without forgetting to mention Venuti (Sampdoria). Furthermore, the offensive players Almqvist (Rostov) and Piccoli (Atalanta) were not retained after their loan. Conversely, the leaders have set their sights on goalkeeper Früchtl (Austria Vienna), defender Gaspar (Estrela), midfielder Pierret (QRM), winger Morente (Elche) or even Vernon (Jong Volendam), and Andy Pelmard from Clermont (loan). Author of an encouraging first season in Italy, Montenegrin striker Krstovic (7 goals in SA) is still at the club as are defenders Gendrey and Baschirotto. Former Ligue 1 players Blin and Oudin are also there. All loaned out from the club last season, defender Okoli (Leicester), winger Zortea (Cagliari) and attackers Cambiaghi (Bologna), Piccoli (Cagliari) and Zapata (Torino) have been permanently transferred or loaned out again. In addition, the right piston Holm (Spezia) was not retained at the end of his loan unlike the Belgian striker De Ketelaere (AC Milan, 10 goals and 8 assists in SA last year).

Also in terms of arrivals, we can mention defender Godfrey (Everton), midfielder Sulemana (Cagliari) and winger Zaniolo (Galatasaray). Ardently courted, the essential midfielder Koopmeiners (12 goals and 5 assists in SA last year) is still at the club, but probably not for long, like the disappointing El-Bilal Touré. They were not traveling to Poland for the European Super Cup, like Scamacca (12 goals and 6 assists in SA), seriously injured, Zaniolo, and senior defenders Scalvini and Toloi (injury for the last two). Hero of the last C3 final with a hat-trick scored, Lookman (11 goals and 7 assists in SA) is there. To compensate for Scamacca's injury, Italian international striker Retegui (ex-Genoa) was signed. Departures, however, of former executive defender Palomino and French midfielder Adopo to Cagliari, piston Hateboer (23 appearances in SA) to Rennes, and Russian international Aleksei Miranchuk (3 goals, 5 assists in SA last year ) at Atlanta United.