Preview: Lecce vs. Bologna - prediction, team news, lineups

Without a Serie A home win over Bologna since November 2001, Lecce welcome their winless visitors to the Via del Mare on Sunday, keen to end that 25-year wait.

Their hopes are boosted by the Rossoblu being one of three winless teams in the top flight after five rounds, leaving the Emilians 18th in the Serie A table ahead of this weekend’s sixth matchday.

Match preview

Lecce’s bid to record consecutive wins for the first time this season fell flat before the international break, as the Giallorossi suffered a 3-0 defeat against AC Milan.

That result was the Salentini’s third defeat of a campaign in which Eusebio Di Francesco’s men have either won or lost every match so far, claiming maximum points on two occasions.

One victory apiece at home and on their travels points to a side yet to build any real momentum after five rounds, but they are seeking their second home success of 2026-27 and a third win in four matches in front of their supporters.

Lecce’s supporters have not celebrated a top-flight home win over Bologna since a 1-0 success in November 2001, while the Giallorossi’s most recent home victory of any kind in this fixture was a 2-1 Serie B triumph in April 2007.

Since then, Lecce have suffered three defeats and recorded six draws in home matches against their Emilia-Romagna visitors, who are unbeaten in the last 11 meetings between the clubs.

Di Francesco will back his players to end an overall run of seven defeats and four draws in this fixture, especially given Bologna’s winless start to the 2026-27 season.

That dismal sequence of results cost Domenico Tedesco his job last month, with Raffaele Palladino replacing the dismissed manager before the international break.

However, Palladino could not inspire the Rossoblu to their first league victory of the campaign last time out, as Bologna were held to a 1-1 draw by Torino after leading for more than an hour until Sandro Kulenovic cancelled out Federico Bernardeschi’s 14th-minute strike.

Having spent the last three weeks becoming acquainted with his players and new surroundings, Palladino will hope that period proves beneficial as the 18th-placed strugglers seek their maiden victory of the campaign.

The precedent is firmly in their favour, but current form suggests that previous results offer little indication of how Sunday afternoon will unfold.

Lecce Serie A form:

Lecce form (all competitions):

Bologna Serie A form:

Team News

Lecce’s medical staff will evaluate Medon Berisha’s condition before the weekend’s encounter, with the Albanian having not featured since the defeat at Cagliari on September 7.

The Salentini have had just three goalscorers this term, with Lassana Coulibaly and centre-back Tiago Gabriel among those to find the net, highlighting the issues that may lie ahead as their forwards continue to struggle.

The same could admittedly be said of Bologna, who have scored three goals in five rounds, with Bernardeschi, Roberto Piccoli and Artem Dovbyk finding the net so far.

Nonetheless, they can draw hope from Riccardo Orsolini having scored seven goals in matches between Lecce and Bologna, and the right winger will aim to add an eighth to end the Rossoblu’s long wait for their first Serie A victory of the season.

On the injury front for Bologna, Dovbyk and Samuel Mbangula will be assessed before the trip to Apulia; however, Jens Odgaard and Emil Holm are ruled out with muscle injuries.

Lecce possible starting lineup:

Falcone; Veiga, Tiago Gabriel, Siebert, Gallo; Coulibaly, Ilic, Maleh; Pierotti, Geubbels, Monteiro

Bologna possible starting lineup:

Skorupski; Helland, Heggem, Theate; Zortea, Ferguson, Pobega, Miranda; Orsolini, Piccoli, Cambiaghi

We say: Lecce 1-1 Bologna

The combined attacking struggles of these sides suggest that clear-cut opportunities may be scarce in a tense battle between two teams lacking confidence.

Lecce’s inconsistency and Bologna’s winless start leave little to separate them, so a low-scoring stalemate would not come as a surprise.

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