LECCE - COMO: LARIANI CHASE HISTORIC MILESTONE AS HOSTS SEEK END TO MISERY

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April 19, 2025

Lece - Como

The Stadio Via del Mare in Lecce will witness on Saturday a clash between two teams with dramatically different current form. The home side Lecce, sliding down the table after a series of failures, hosts an in-form Como team that could achieve a historic milestone.

Head-to-head statistics strongly favor the visitors. Como has never lost to Lecce in Serie A history, representing the Lariani's longest unbeaten streak against any opponent in Italy's top flight. In five previous encounters, Como has recorded four victories and one draw. On Lecce's ground, the visitors have played two matches – winning convincingly 4-1 in 1985 and drawing 0-0 in their most recent duel in 1989.

"History is interesting, but matches are won on the pitch, not in statistical tables," cautions Como manager Cesc Fàbregas. "Lecce is a quality team going through a difficult period. That can make them even more dangerous. We're focusing on our game and want to confirm our current excellent form."

And the visitors' form is indeed impressive. Como has won two league games in a row, which they've managed three times this season. If the Lariani were to win in Lecce, they would achieve three consecutive Serie A victories for the first time since the period between May and June 1952. Moreover, they recently won 3-1 away at Monza and have a chance for back-to-back away wins, which they've accomplished only once in Serie A history, in 1950, when they actually recorded three in a row.

While Como is on the rise, the home side Lecce finds itself in a deep crisis. In the last seven league rounds, the Giallorossi have earned just a single point from a draw with Venezia in late February. In the top five European leagues, only Montpellier (7) has suffered more defeats than Lecce (6 – tied with Leicester, Monza, Real Valladolid, and Southampton).

Even more alarming is the offensive production of the home team – Lecce has failed to score in five of their last seven home league matches. In the top five European leagues in 2025, only Leicester City (6) has failed to score in more home games than the Giallorossi (5 – tied with Alavés, Hellas Verona, and Venezia).

"We're going through a difficult period, that's undeniable," admits Lecce coach Luca Gotti. "But in football, situations can change quickly. We need one good match, one win to regain confidence. And what better opportunity than against a team that has never beaten us in history?"

Interestingly, both teams are among the most active in Serie A when it comes to shots from high turnovers. Lecce (43) and Como (42, tied with Lazio) are two of the three teams that have attempted such shots most frequently. The difference, however, is in effectiveness – the Lariani have scored 5 goals from these situations, while the team from Salento has scored just 1.

According to the Expected Points model, Como should have 46 points in the table, while in reality they have only 36. This represents the second-largest negative deviation in the competition after Monza (14 points fewer than the model suggests they should have).

Two interesting individuals will be under scrutiny in the match. Lecce defender Federico Baschirotto has scored all five of his Serie A goals with his head (3 in the 2022/23 season and 2 this season) and has scored in two consecutive matches for the first time in his career. Since his Serie A debut, only Bremer (7) has scored more headed goals among defenders.

On the other side, Como's young midfielder Nico Paz (born September 8, 2004) is the youngest player with 6 goals and 5 assists to exceed the 5+5 threshold in Serie A this season. The last Como midfielder to score more goals than the Argentine in a single top-flight season was Angelo Turconi (8) in the 1951-52 campaign.

Saturday's encounter thus promises an interesting confrontation between teams with opposing trends and perhaps another chapter in the remarkable historical record between the two sides.

We thank OPTA for providing the statistical data. Photo: source XYZ