Gian Piero Gasperini is in a state of defensive emergency as Roma prepare to face Lecce away in Serie A on Tuesday evening.
A full week of 10 Serie A matches is scheduled over the next three evenings, starting with Pisa against Como on Tuesday afternoon and ending with Milan against Genoa on Thursday evening.
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Lecce are returning after an impressive 1-1 draw against Juventus last time out in Serie A, and Eusebio Di Francesco is unlikely to make too many changes to his starting line-up as a result.
TURIN, ITALY – JANUARY 03: Lameck Banda of US Lecce celebrates his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and US Lecce on January 3, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Francesco Camarda is expected to start at center forward, but it remains to be seen which combination of Santiago Pierotti, Konan N’Dri, Lameck Banda or Riccardo Sottil will start on the wings.
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Roma aim to bounce back against Lecce after a 1-0 defeat to Atalanta this weekend.
Gasperini has his work cut out for him, however, as all three of his first-choice backs are unavailable tonight: Evan Ndicka is absent for the Africa Cup of Nations and Gianluca Mancini and Mario Hermoso will have to sit out due to suspension.
That means there will likely be a return of fortune three from Daniele Ghilardi, Jan Ziolkowski and Devyne Rensch on Tuesday night.
ROME, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 21: Daniele Ghilardi of AS Roma in action before the Serie A match between SS Lazio and AS Roma at Stadio Olimpico on September 21, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Silvia Lore/Getty Images)
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Artem Dovbyk isn’t quite ready to start for Roma after injury, meaning there could be another opportunity for Evan Ferguson at centre-forward. Paulo Dybala could also be rested.
Kick-off is scheduled for 17:00 GMT.
Lecce vs Roma: probable line-ups
Lecce (4-3-3): Falcon; Pérez, Gaspar, T. Gabriel, Gallo; Kaba, Ramadani, Maleh; Pierotti, Camarda, Banda.
Rome (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Ghilardi, Ziolkowski, Rensch; Celik, Koné, Cristante, Wesley; Soule, El Shaarawy; Ferguson.
Where to watch Lecce vs. Roma
Tonight’s match will be available live in the UK on DAZN. Fans in the United States can tune in via Paramount+.
Join us for all the pre-match build-up, game coverage and post-match reactions on the Football Italia live blog.
