Nikola Krstović once again pushed Lecce to probably the most important victory of the season, and then after an hour of play against Torino he was left sitting on the "Via del Marea" pitch - a substitution followed and worries for the "Giallorossi", but also for the fans of Montenegro.
Fortunately, it was not an injury, so the Montenegrin striker will be ready for Sunday and the match of the year for Lecce, and there is no fear that he will lead the "falcons" in the super important World Cup qualifying match against the Czech Republic in early June.
"Krstović is fine, he just had cramps and muscle stiffness. He gave his all, but I saw him suffering and I preferred not to take any risks, so I substituted him," explained Marko Đampaolo, Lecce coach.
The club from southern Italy can thus be somewhat calmer before the most important match in recent years - Lecce visits Lazio on Sunday, in a match that will determine whether they will play in Serie A next year.
"We had no alternative but to win against Torino - we had to celebrate in that duel in order to give ourselves another chance against Lazio," Giampaolo recalled the match in which Krstović assisted and Iljber Ramadani brought victory with a "bomb".
Heading into the final 90 minutes of the season, Lecce has 31 points, the same as Empoli, who are in the relegation zone, while Venice is two points behind. The Tuscan team will host Verona, while Venice will have the toughest job as they host Juventus.
Another aggravating circumstance for Lecce is that Lazio will be motivated because they still have a chance to qualify for the Champions League.
"We only think about ourselves, not about what Lazio needs and what our rivals will do. We only have to play our game, aware of the difficulties. As long as the calendar or fate gives you the opportunity to solve everything in the last match - you have to play it as best you can," the Lecce coach emphasized.
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