US Lecce vs AS Roma

Matchday two of the new Serie A season brings Lecce and AS Roma together at the Via del Mare, with both sides carrying very different ambitions. Roma arrive off a third-place finish that returned them to the Champions League, while Lecce are simply relieved to have survived a nerve-wracking relegation fight last term and now want a calmer campaign under fresh leadership. Roma kept faith in Gian Piero Gasperini after his strong first season, backing him with new arrivals Santiago Castro, Rodrigo Mora and defender Konstantinos Koulierakis, while senior figures Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini agreed pay cuts to stay. Lecce, meanwhile, appointed Eusebio Di Francesco as coach and added striker Willem Geubbels for extra firepower, with goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone still their defensive rock. History heavily favours the visitors, who have won 17 of 23 meetings against just one Lecce victory. Our prediction: 1-2