Torino host Lecce on 7 November 2026 in a Serie A matchday 11 fixture with real consequences at both ends of the table. Torino are tenth on 13 points after ten games and have lost their last two, including a 0-2 loss to Frosinone on 1 November that exposed some set piece fragility, so they need a win to push toward the top half. Lecce are fourteenth on nine points having lost three straight, the most recent a 1-2 reverse against Genoa on the same date and another defeat here would leave them in serious trouble at the bottom.
Ignazio Abate took charge of Torino on 12 June 2026, replacing Roberto D'Aversa, while Eusebio Di Francesco has been at Lecce since 26 June 2025 when he replaced Marco Giampaolo. Di Francesco holds 11 wins from 25 meetings against Torino sides, across six draws and eight defeats. This match is something of a first proper test for Abate against Di Francesco's low block 4-3-3.
Torino won three consecutive matches before the Frosinone defeat, though that 0-2 loss exposed real problems at set pieces and is not so easily set aside. Lecce's situation is worse: three straight defeats have left them with just one win in their last seven league outings and the fact they have not drawn a single game in ten matches tells you something is badly wrong with how they are seeing out close games.
Torino are without Alessio Cacciamani, who has a shoulder dislocation, Ricardo Rodriguez, sidelined by a tendon and muscle rupture that will not clear until mid or late November and Rolando Mandragora, similarly absent with a thigh issue, leaving Abate short of experience across the back line and in central midfield.
Lecce are in similar trouble. Joel Monteiro has a calf problem keeping him out until late November, Lassana Coulibaly a hamstring and muscle complaint until mid-November and Ivan Ilic a thigh and tendon issue stretching into late November. The return of Kialonda Gaspar from suspension restores one aerial presence at the back but losing Coulibaly, Ilic and Monteiro together strips Lecce of their midfield screen and wide threat in one go, which is precisely where Torino will look to hurt them.
Torino's 3-5-2 loses two of its more experienced pieces in Rodriguez and Mandragora and Abate will likely push his wing backs higher to compensate. Che Adams leads the line and Nikola Vlasic drops into half spaces to find the gaps Lecce leave between their defensive lines, while Giovanni Simeone's movement pulling centre backs out of position should open the corridors Vlasic wants to run into. Vlasic is the player who will decide how much damage Torino can do.
Lecce's 4-3-3 is built to absorb pressure and release Nikola Stulic quickly but with Coulibaly and Ilic both missing, the defensive screen in front of the back four is badly exposed. Wladimiro Falcone will be busy in goal, Stulic carries more of the forward burden than usual and Youssef Maleh has to operate as both a press trigger and a defensive shield in a midfield that is suddenly two men shorter than Di Francesco would want. Without that screen, Lecce may struggle to clear second balls from set pieces, giving Adams and Simeone more second ball opportunities inside the area than Lecce would want to concede. The broader tactical battle turns on Torino's wing backs pushing wide to drag Lecce's midfield across and the gap they leave on transitions is exactly the space Stulic will look to run into.
The Serie A history between these clubs is balanced across 16 games: six wins each and four draws. At home, though, Torino have been strong recently, going unbeaten in their last four league meetings with Lecce with three wins and a draw while keeping clean sheets in every one, which suggests Lecce will need to disrupt Torino's build up early to get any kind of foothold.
Torino's set piece delivery is a weapon here and, without their usual midfield screen, Lecce may struggle with second balls inside the box, giving Adams and Simeone additional opportunities. Torino are also vulnerable to quick counters as recent results have shown and Lecce will look to Stulic to exploit that if they can force turnovers high up the pitch. Gaspar's return gives Di Francesco one more aerial presence but Lecce have no cover to bring on behind a tired Torino back three in the final 20 minutes.
We're going with Torino 2-1 Lecce. Torino's wing backs should find space behind Lecce's weakened midfield and their set piece threat compounds the problem for a depleted back line. Stulic can punish Torino on the break if Lecce win the ball high, which keeps this from being a comfortable afternoon for Abate's side but losing Monteiro, Coulibaly and Ilic leaves Lecce short of the personnel to sustain defensive organisation for ninety minutes. We expect Vlasic to find the pockets Lecce's missing midfielders would normally close, with at least one goal coming from a dead ball.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
