Each side fights for its own goal – Juve chase the Champions League, while Lecce fight for survival

With both sides still chasing important seasonal targets, Serie A heavyweights Juventus travel south to face struggling Lecce at the Stadio Via del Mare on Saturday evening.

With only three matches left to play, Juventus remain locked in a tense battle for Champions League qualification, while Lecce are still fighting to preserve their top-flight status and avoid relegation.

The race for fourth place has tightened again for Juventus, who missed a chance to overtake AC Milan last weekend. To make matters worse, Roma have closed the gap to just a single point, while outsiders Como are still lingering in the background as potential challengers.

Juve’s most recent outing only added to the frustration. After a goalless draw with Milan, they were again held, this time despite dominating already-relegated Hellas Verona. Against a side with little left to play for, it took a Dusan Vlahovic set-piece equaliser from the bench to rescue a point.

Even so, there are positives for Luciano Spalletti’s team. Juventus have taken 19 points from their last nine league matches—second only to Napoli in that span—and have conceded just five goals during that run.

They are now unbeaten in 10 matches across all competitions and have kept three consecutive away clean sheets. Historically, this trip also offers encouragement, with Juventus losing only once in their last 12 league visits to Lecce this century. Lecce, however, will be determined to make life difficult as they continue their survival fight.

Battling to remain in Serie A for a fifth straight season, Lecce are involved in a tight relegation scrap with Cremonese. After a poor run of form that brought just two points from six games, they finally responded last time out with a crucial 2-1 win over bottom side Pisa, a result that moved them four points clear of danger with three games remaining.

History suggests they are not completely safe, but the numbers still favour them—teams reaching 32 points after 35 matches have almost always survived in recent seasons.

Juve monitoring Marseille's striker

On the injury front, Juventus welcome back Dusan Vlahovic, though he may have to fight for his place despite lacking full match sharpness. Juan Cabal and Arkadiusz Milik remain unavailable, while Jonathan David continues to struggle for form and could be replaced or rotated within Spalletti’s system.

For Lecce, Medon Berisha, Kialonda Gaspar, and Sadik Fofana remain sidelined, while Riccardo Sottil is still a major doubt ahead of the clash.

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 36

Friday

Torino - Sassuolo 2-1 (0-0)

/Simeone 66, Pedersen 70 - Thorstvedt 51/

Saturday

16.00: (2.55) Cagliari (3.05) Udinese (3.00)

19.00: (5.00) Lazio (3.70) Inter (1.80)

21.45: (7.00) Lecce (4.30) Juventus (1.48)

Sunday

13.30: (8.50) Verona (4.50) Como (1.40)

16.00: (1.72) Cremonese (3.85) Pisa (4.90)

16.00: (2.15) Fiorentina (3.35) Genoa (3.45)

19.00: (7.00) Parma (3.90) Roma (1.60)

21.45: (2.15) Milan (3.50) Atalanta (3.60)

Monday

21.45: (1.55) Napoli (4.00) Bologna (6.50)

***odds are subject to change***