Inter Milan vs Lecce

Defending Serie A champions Inter Milan are looking to kick off their campaign on a positive note this Saturday as they face Lecce at San Siro.

After a frustrating draw on their title defense opener against Genoa, Inter will be determined to avoid another disappointment this weekend.

Despite Marcus Thuram netting his first Serie A double last week, it wasn’t enough to secure a win for Inter. Genoa managed to level the score late in the game, forcing a 2-2 draw in Liguria.

The French striker had an ongoing battle with Genoa's goalkeeper Gollini and seemed to have secured a win with an 82nd-minute goal, which was initially ruled offside but later awarded after VAR review, putting Inter ahead 2-1.

However, Yann Bisseck’s mistake in handling the ball in the penalty area allowed former AC Milan player Messias to convert a penalty, leveling the match once again.

Since the end of the previous season, when they had already clinched the Scudetto, Inter have drawn three consecutive matches. Coach Simone Inzaghi will be keen to see a return to winning ways on Saturday evening.

Historically, Inter have never lost their opening home game in the last 11 years, achieving nine victories, including wins in each of the last five seasons.

Additionally, Inter have an impressive record against Lecce at San Siro, winning 17 out of 18 Serie A encounters at home, with 12 clean sheets and only six goals conceded.

Lecce, who have only managed one win in this period, have never scored more than once away against Inter and will be looking to secure their first league goal of the new season in their trip to Milan.

In reality, the Salentini have lost all six of their previous six Serie A games and failed to score in four of them between the conclusion of the previous term and the beginning of this one, which is their worst scoring drought in over a year.

After Luca Gotti's team advanced in the Coppa Italia by defeating Mantova with a late goal from Nikola Krstovic, Atalanta BC easily defeated them on the first matchday.

They trailed by two goals at the half and let up two more goals in the second half, which worried the home crowd at Stadio Via del Mare about the task ahead.

Last season, when Lecce was having difficulties, former Spezia manager Gotti intervened, leading the team to safety and maintaining the position for the long run. Nevertheless, he has had difficulties due to a difficult schedule for 2024–25.
Piotr Zielinski, a summer acquisition from Inter, may participate in Saturday's match after recovering from a muscle ailment that prevented him from playing the entire game last week. Tajon Buchanan (leg) and Stefan de Vrij (thigh) are still out.

Mehdi Taremi, the former star of Porto, made his league debut for the Nerazzurri as a substitute, although Marcus Thuram and captain Lautaro Martinez, the hosts' regular striking duo, will start for the hosts.

The latter, who was named Capocannoniere for 2023–24, has not scored in any of his last five Serie A home games, dating back to February. Since coming to Italy, 'El Toro' has only experienced a longer San Siro drought once.

Lecce, however, anticipates fielding a whole team for the journey north to Lombardy, with the exception of Mohamed Kaba, who has been out of action for some time due to a major knee injury.

The Salentini's top scorer from the previous campaign, Nikola Kristovic, will once again lead the attack, while French full-back Valentin Gendrey has decided to stay with the team for the time being despite getting an offer from Hoffenheim.