Inter head into their Serie A clash with Lecce aiming to respond after dropping points against Napoli, with Alessandro Bastoni highlighting growth in mentality while injuries, form trends and a dominant
head-to-head record all shape expectations for Cristian Chivu's league leaders.
Inter were held 2-2 by Napoli, halting a streak of six successive league victories, yet Chivu's side still sit three points ahead at the top because AC Milan also failed to win, and this meeting with Lecce serves as Inter's game in hand following their Supercoppa Italiana involvement.
There are some details that we certainly need to work on, but I saw a definite step forward in terms of mentality and sharpness, Bastoni told DAZN Italia. We should've done better on the goals, but must also recognise the quality of the opponents, who have players of the highest level.
Coach of the month for December Congratulations to Cristian Chivu pic.twitter.com/6ebDwyjSZjInter (@Inter_en) January 13, 2026
I still believe we've had a very good first half of the season, as I remember the perception that people had of us at the start. It is not easy to reboot after so many years, and I feel it has been a good campaign.
Inter will likely need to adjust in midfield, as Hakan Calhanoglu came off during the second half against Napoli with a calf strain, and reports in Italy suggest the playmaker could be sidelined for around three weeks, which would also keep Calhanoglu out of Champions League fixtures against Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund.
Lecce arrive at San Siro under pressure near the bottom, sitting 17th in Serie A and only three points above Fiorentina, having gone four league matches without a victory, with one draw and three defeats, while winning only once across their last six games overall, which underlines their current struggle for consistency.
Inter vs Lecce key players to watch
Federico Dimarco has become a major attacking outlet for Inter this season, scoring four goals in 18 Serie A appearances, already matching the tally produced across 33 league games in the 2024-25 campaign, and with four goals plus five assists, Dimarco has nine goal involvements, a figure no defender in Europe's top five leagues has bettered in 2025-26, with only Alejandro Grimaldo level.
Nikola Stulic offers Lecce's main threat in attack, ending a sequence of 13 Serie A matches without a goal by scoring twice in the last five league outings, yet Stulic still has not scored away from home this season, with the striker's most recent away league goal dating back to May 4, 2025, for Sporting Charleroi at Standard Liege.
Inter vs Lecce head-to-head and prediction
Historical numbers strongly favour Inter against Lecce, as the Nerazzurri have won the last six Serie A meetings while netting at least twice in every game, recording 16 goals at an average of 2.7, and Inter have previously managed seven straight league victories over Lecce only once, between 1991 and 1999, while winning 18 of 19 home league encounters, a 95% success rate.
Inter's draw with Napoli followed a long league run without any stalemates, as Chivu's team had produced 19 consecutive Serie A matches that ended either in victory or defeat, with 15 wins and four losses, and Inter have not recorded back-to-back draws in the competition since a three-game sequence between May and August 2024 against Lazio, Verona and Genoa.
Lecce's recent record against league leaders is bleak, with five straight Serie A defeats against teams starting the day top, failing to score in any of those contests, and two of those losses came versus Inter, 2-0 in December 2023 and 4-0 in February 2024, while their latest away outing brought a 1-1 draw at Juventus on January 3, but they have yet to avoid defeat in consecutive away league matches this season, something last achieved during the final three away fixtures of the previous campaign with one win and two draws.
| Outcome | Opta win probability |
|---|---|
| Inter win | 79.4% |
| Draw | 12.6% |
| Lecce win | 8% |
The numbers, recent form and Opta projections all point towards Inter as clear favourites against Lecce, yet Bastoni's focus on mentality, Calhanoglu's absence and Lecce's need for points highlight the key factors that will shape how this Serie A contest unfolds at San Siro.
