A much-improved AS Roma side will look to add another victory to its tally on Monday in a road game against Lecce, which is off to a good start under a new manager.
Bookmaker BetOnline has set Roma’s goals total for the game at 1.5, offering odds for the over at 2.00. The total for Lecce stands at 0.5, with the odds for the over at 1.55 and the under at 2.63.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: March 31st, 9:00 P.M. (EST)
Since former team captain Daniele De Rossi took the reigns from Jose Mourinho in January, Roma has won nine of 13 games, losing only twice. The team has scored a lot more goals compared to Mourinho’s era, and the Giallorossi have shot up the table to enter the Champions League race.
De Rossi’s men sit fifth on the Serie A table with 51 points, three points behind Bologna and eight points adrift from Juventus. The latter lost to Lazio over the weekend, meaning Roma can close the gap with the top three to five points on Monday.
Will we see Roma firing on all cylinders again? A Lorenzo Pellegrini goal was enough for the side to beat Sassuolo ahead of the international break, but the improvement with De Rossi on the attacking front has been very impressive. Before the Sassuolo game, Roma had netted at least twice in eight consecutive league outings, with Paulo Dybala doing the biggest damage.
Dybala is an injury doubt for Monday’s game after missing the match with Sassuolo. However, he has been back in training with the team, and De Rossi has named him in the squad for the trip to Lecce, which is an encouraging sign regarding his availability. The Argentinian ace has netted seven goals in his last six Serie A appearances.
Lecce will try to battle out a positive result with a good defensive performance. The team beat Salernitana 1-0 in the last game to end a 23-game run without a clean sheet in the league. Following a very good start, which saw Lecce collect 11 points from the first five matches of the season, it’s been a grind for the team, but Luca Gotti’s winning start as manager should give Lecce a boost in confidence.
After getting a result on the road against Salernitana, Gotti now has to find a way to improve Lecce’s home form. The Wolves have won only two of the last 11 home games, shooting blanks in three of the last four. A strong finish at home is needed to escape relegation, as Lecce is currently only three points ahead of the bottom three.
