Hoping to finally turn a corner, crisis club Roma will welcome Serie A strugglers Lecce to Stadio Olimpico on Saturday evening.

Match preview

After Monday's 2-0 home defeat to an apparently unstoppable Atalanta BC on home turf, Roma still have just 13 points on the board so far this season, therefore averaging below one per game from their first 14 Serie A fixtures for only the third time in their history.

In those terms, it is the capital club's worst start to a top-flight campaign since 1978, so returning hero Claudio Ranieri has a significant job on his hands to steady the ship.

Including their recent draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League, Roma have yet to taste success since Ranieri was lured out of retirement, and they are winless in six matches across all competitions.

Only once in their long Serie A history have the Giallorossi recorded five consecutive league defeats - between February and March 1951 - but another loss this weekend would level that landmark.

Occupying 15th place in the table, they are side-by-side with Lecce ahead of the clubs' Saturday night contest, and only victory will do for Roma's restless faithful, who have been calling for the board to quit.

History, at least, will be on their side: after losing their first top-flight home match against the Salentini back in 1986, they have gone unbeaten through the next 17, winning all of the last seven.

Indeed, as they prepare to meet their fellow Giallorossi in the Italian capital, Lecce have won just twice in 36 Serie A meetings with Roma at Stadio Olimpico.

They have recently pulled level on points with their hosts, though, as the arrival of new boss Marco Giampaolo has brought a quick uptick in fortunes.

First, Lecce finally scored a first away goal of the season while beating Venezia 1-0, then they snatched a last-gasp point at home to Turin giants Juventus.

A stoppage-time strike from Ante Rebic secured a dramatic 1-1 draw at Via del Mare, and they have now scored in their last three league games; that is as many times as in the previous 14, during which they failed to find the net on 11 occasions.

Giampaolo has certainly stopped them shipping goals, and following their clean sheet in Venice, Lecce will hope to frustrate an ailing Roma side that will be under serious pressure to produce.

Roma possible starting lineup:

Svilar; Mancini, Hummels, Ndicka; Celik, Kone, Cristante, Angelino; Dybala, Pellegrini; Dovbyk

Lecce possible starting lineup:

Falcone; Guilbert, Gaspar, Baschirotto, Pelmard; Coulibaly, Ramadani; Dorgu, Rafia, Pierotti; Krstovic