Lecce-Atalanta Italy - Serie A 08/09 Prediction

Lecce-Atalanta
22.03 15:00
Lecce have no option but to win as they host Atalanta at the Via Del Mare in Week 29. For the Salentini it will be a desperate attempt to close the gap in the relegation shuffle.
Newly appointed Luigi De Canio was hoping to turn things around on his debut with the Giallorossi, but it didn’t go that well as they were defeated 5-2 in Palermo. They are now second to last with 23 points, three away from 17th placed Bologna.

“We know that we will have to fight until the last minute of the last game,” confessed De Canio. “It was a clear defeat against the Rosanero, but Mario Beretta left me a good team. We are alive, in good condition and will get back our morale soon.”
Meanwhile, Atalanta are having a good season. Despite three consecutive defeats they returned to victory against Torino. They are now in 10th position with 39 points although reaching a UEFA Cup spot by the end of the season seems unlikely.
“We are not safe yet,” claimed Gigi Del Neri. “We still need to earn some more points, but I would like to thank my men for the way they fought in the last game. I will talk about my contract only after Easter.”
De Canio should line up with his favourite 3-5-2 formation, but will have to do without injured Andrea Zanchetta, Daniele Cacia and Andrea Esposito. Fabio Caserta will play a key role in midfield while Josè Castillo and Simone Tiribocchi will have a tough job up front.
Cristiano Doni is out for three weeks and this represents a big blow for the Bergamaschi. Ferreira Pinto and Christian Vieri are also missing. Gyorgy Garics is running out of stamina, he didn’t miss a single game this season, and Del Neri may replace him with youngster Federico Peluso.
Sergio Floccari was the man of the match against Torino. The Italian striker, who has been linked to Roma and Juventus recently, netted a brace and generally looked in good form.
The Lombardi were defeated in their last trip to Puglia back in 2005, but two successive 2-0 wins preceded that setback.

Keep an eye on: Simone Tiribocchi (Lecce) – Known as ‘Il Tir’, Tiribocchi is the only man in Lecce’s squad who seems on top form and proved it in Sicily last weekend. We will have to see how good he really is this time around…
Tip: Even Goal, Odds 1.9; Under 2.5 Goals, Odd 1.7;