Lecce vs Cagliari preview - De Canio: We have stomach for fight

Posted Sunday, April 17, 2011 by PA

Lecce coach Luigi De Canio believes his side's hunger to fight for every point will be instrumental in their battle against relegation.

The Giallorossi won 2-1 at Sampdoria in the last round and go into the clash against Cagliari in 15th place, with a three-point cushion over the drop zone with six games remaining.

"A victory on Sunday would mean a giant step towards defending our Serie A status," De Canio said. "The important thing for us will be to get a result that allows us to move up in the standings."

Lecce have shown a drastic improvement in recent weeks, scoring four times while giving away one goal in their last two league games.

"All we want to do is to continue to win," De Canio said. "We are playing very well and showing a lot of determination and hunger, which are vital ingredients to avoid the drop."

Rivals Cagliari go into the clash at the Via del Mare stadium on the back of last weekend's 1-1 draw against Brescia.

The Sardinians are ninth in the table, nine points clear of Sunday's rivals.

Cagliari have won just one of their last five encounters and club coach Roberto Donadoni has urged his players to rediscover that fighting spirit they showed earlier this year.

"Against Brescia, we lacked determination and hunger," said Donadoni. "We have to remember that even though we are safe, there are still six games left to play and we have to approach every game, with the same hunger and focus that we displayed earlier this year."