Saturday’s preview in Empoli for Lecce, which starts the second half of the season with a challenging and important away match. Three points of difference in the standings and therefore a real clash on a field, the Carlo Castellani, where the Salentini have never won. The two teams have faced each other 16 times in their history in Valdarno between Serie A, B, C and Coppa Italia.
The balance sheet smiles on the Azzurri: 10 wins to 0, plus 6 draws. The very first one was a 1947/48 Serie B match and ended with a 3-1 result for the Azzurri. For the Giallorossi illusory lead goal by Silvestri. The first previous matches between the Tuscans and the Salentini at the Castellani were in fact a local monologue (including a clear 4-0 win), with Lecce returning to score only in September 1983 with Luperto who was then overturned for the 2-1 final.
In the following season, the one of Lecce’s first promotion to A, the match in Empoli ended 2-2 with goals by Di Chiara and Cipriani (for the two Giallorossi advantages): it was the first Lecce point in the Azzurri. And a draw was also when, in 1996/97, the teams went up to the top league arm in arm. In this case Ventura’s eleven was stoic, maintaining the 1-1 despite double numerical inferiority. The following season in the first face-off in A was a goleada for Spalletti’s team, with future Giallorossi Tonetto opening the scoring (for Lecce in goal, as the year before, Stefano Casale).
After a 0-0 draw in 2003/04, two seasons later the second-best Empoli side in history triumphed thanks to Pozzi’s second-half center. In 2009/10 Salentini again on points: it was 2-2 final with double guest advantage signed Angelo and Corvia and Eder’s double to sanction the equalizer, which arrived at four of the 90th minute to deny what would have been the first Leccese success in Empoli.
In spring 2020 to close out the cadet championship won by the Azzurri themselves was a 2-1 local win with former La Mantia and Matos overturning Rodriguez’s lead. Two years later it’s Serie A and another mockery for Lecce, beaten 1-0 by Caputo’s penalty to decide a challenge with zero emotions, especially on the Giallorossi side. Balance and bloopers last season, with Banda scoring by taking advantage of Berisha’s slip and Rafia “putting it” mockingly behind his own goalkeeper for the equalizer.
PREVIOUS TABLE IN EMPOLI:
Total matches: 16
Empoli wins: 10
Draws: 6
Lecce Wins: 0
Empoli Goals: 28
Lecce goals: 10
The article BACKGROUND – Castellani is black beast: zero Lecce wins in Empoli comes from Calcio Lecce.
