Lecce vs Inter Prediction - The Serie A champions' resilience in the face of personnel challenges.
Inter Milan are looking to defend their top spot in Serie A as they travel to Lecce at 00:00 on February 22nd, despite the absence of several key players such as Martinez and Barella.
The match between Lecce and Inter will take place at 00:00 on February 22, 2026, at the Stadio Ettore Giardiniero - Via del Mare. This is a clash of completely opposite positions, with the league leaders facing a team struggling to avoid relegation.
Inter's dominant position at the top of the table.
Inter currently sit firmly in first place in the Serie A standings with 61 points after 25 matches. Their form has been incredibly impressive, having won all five of their most recent games. With a superior goal difference, Inter have scored 60 goals (an average of 2.4 goals per game) and conceded only 21.
In contrast, Lecce are currently in 17th place with 24 points, just above the relegation zone. The home team has only managed 6 wins in 25 league matches, with 3 of those victories coming at their home ground, Via del Mare. Their biggest weakness is their goal-scoring ability, having only scored 17 goals since the start of the season.
The head-to-head history heavily favors the away team.
Historical data shows Inter's absolute dominance in recent encounters. In the last 5 matches, Inter won all 5, scoring 11 goals and conceding only 1. Notably, in their last two away games at Lecce's stadium, the black and blue striped team won both times with a resounding 4-0 victory.
- January 15, 2026: Inter 1 - 0 Lecce
- January 27, 2025: Lecce 0 - 4 Inter
- August 25, 2024: Inter 2 - 0 Lecce
- February 26, 2024: Lecce 0 - 4 Inter
- December 24, 2023: Inter 2 - 0 Lecce
Team news: Inter are facing a crisis involving key players.
Despite being considered the stronger team, Inter will face a difficult personnel challenge due to the absence of four key players. Specifically, two central midfielders, N. Barella and H. Calhanoglu, are both suspended after accumulating yellow cards. In attack, star player L. Martinez is sidelined with a calf injury, while D. Dumfries is also unavailable due to an ankle injury.
On Lecce's side, the home team also lacks its strongest squad as M. Berisha and F. Camarda are both absent due to different injuries. However, Inter's absence of key midfielders and forwards could be an opportunity for Lecce to hope for a more favorable result at home.
Gameplay analysis and predictions
With their consistent goal-scoring record, Inter are still considered the top contenders for victory despite personnel losses. Inter's team still possesses sufficient squad depth to operate the tactical system that has helped them win 20 matches since the start of the season. Meanwhile, Lecce are expected to play defensively, aiming to secure at least one point in their fight against relegation.
Experts predict that Inter have a 45% chance of winning, while the probability of a draw is also high at 45%. The chance of Lecce causing an upset with a victory is only 10%.
Team lineup updated at 23:30 on February 21, 2026
Official lineup
Lecce
Diagram: 4-3-3
CoachEusebio Di Francesco
Starting lineup:
- 30. Wladimiro Falcone (G)
- 17. Danilo Veiga (D)
- 4. Kialonda Gaspar (D)
- 44. Tiago Gabriel (D)
- 25. Antonino Gallo (D)
- 16. Omri Gandelman (M)
- 20. Ylber Ramadani (M)
- 29. Lassana Coulibaly (M)
- 50. Santiago Pierotti (F)
- 99. Walid Cheddra (F)
- 23. Riccardo Sottil (F)
Substitutes:
- 1. Christian Früchtl
- 32. Jasper Samooja
- 13. Matías Pérez
- 3. Corrie Ndaba
- 18. Gaby Jean
- 5. Jamil Siebert
- 14. Þórir Jóhann Helgason
- 8. Sadik Fofana
- 6. Alex Sala
- 19. Lameck Banda
- 36. Filip Marchwiński
- 79. Oumar Ngom
- 11. Konan N'Dri
- 9. Nikola Štulić
Inter
Diagram: 3-5-2
CoachCristian Chivu
Starting lineup:
- 1. Yann Sommer (G)
- 31. Yann Bisseck (D)
- 6. Stefan de Vrij (D)
- 95. Alessandro Bastoni (D)
- 11. Luís Henrique (M)
- 16. Davide Frattesi (M)
- 7. Piotr Zieliński (M)
- 8. Petar Sučić (M)
- 32. Federico Dimarco (M)
- 9. Marcus Thuram (F)
- 94. Francesco Pio Esposito (F)
Substitutes:
- 12. Raffaele Di Gennaro
- 13. Josep Martínez
- 15. Francesco Acerbi
- 30. Carlos Augusto
- 43. Matteo Cocchi
- 25. Manuel Akanji
- 57. Iwo Kaczmarski
- 36. Matteo Darmian
- 17. Andy Diouf
- 58. Luka Topalović
- 22. Henrikh Mkhitaryan
- 14. Ange-Yoan Bonny
