Palermo vs Lecce prediction 17.08.2026 | Coppa Italia

Palermo return to Stadio Renzo Barbera after completing their pre-season preparations with a high-profile trip to Australia.

A mixed campaign this summer has seen the Sicilians win three, lose two and draw two of seven games completed. Palermo claimed a 2:0 win against Melbourne City before slipping to a 2:0 reversal against Juventus in their final warm-up fixture.

Filippo Inzaghi's side endured a disappointing conclusion to last season, missing out on promotion following a 3:2 aggregate playoff defeat against Catanzaro.

Still, a strong record at Stadio Renzo Barbera should give Palermo confidence this week. Inzaghi’s men won 14 and lost just one of 19 home Serie B fixtures last season.

The hosts have no reported injury issues. Joel Pohjanpalo should lead the home attack on Monday. The Finnish forward scored twice in the 8:0 pre-season win against Gherdeina.

Summer signings Gabriel Strefezza, Dominic Vavassori, Mattia Fortin, Andrea Bozzolan and Tommaso Cassandro are all available for the home side.

Lecce make the trip to Sicily following an inconsistent but entertaining sequence of pre-season results.

Eusebio Di Francesco's side began their summer preparations with a narrow 1:0 victory against Haladas before slipping to a disappointing 1:0 defeat against Politehnica Timisoara.

The Giallorossi then shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw against NK Istra before completing their pre-season programme with an entertaining 5:2 victory against Bistrica.

A lack of firepower and a poor away record will need to be improved this season. Lecce lost 11 of 19 Serie A away games, while they scored just 28 goals in 38 fixtures during the 25/26 campaign. 

Head coach Di Francesco has a number of new faces available. Summer signings Willem Geubbels, Hjalte Laerke, Paco Esteban, Niko Kovac and Olaf Gorter are all in contention to make their competitive debuts.