Alessandro Bastoni believes Inter made a "definite step forward" in terms of their mentality against Napoli, and he is keen to keep showing that against Lecce in Serie A.
Inter were held to a 2-2 draw by Napoli on Sunday, though with AC Milan also dropping points at the weekend, Cristian Chivu's side remain three points clear at the top of the table.
That stalemate ended a run of six straight wins in the league for Inter, who are looking to bounce back against Lecce, in what is their game in hand after the Supercoppa Italiana participation.
And though there were parts of their performance against Napoli that could still be improved, Bastoni was largely impressed with how they handled the match.
"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.
"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 are set to be without Hakan Calhanoglu for Lecce's visit after he was substituted in the second half of the Napoli game.
He has suffered a calf strain, which, according to Italian media, is set to see him miss around three weeks, also ruling him out of Inter's Champions League clashes with Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund.
Lecce, meanwhile, are struggling at the other end of the table, sitting 17th and just three points clear of Fiorentina below them.
They are winless in their last four matches (D1 L3) and have won just one of their last six outings overall.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Inter – Federico Dimarco
In 18 appearances in this Serie A campaign, Federico Dimarco has already scored as many goals (four) as he did in 33 games in the 2024-25 season.
And, with four goals and five assists, the 28-year-old has been involved in nine Serie A goals this season, with no defender having a better record in Europe's top five leagues in 2025-26 (Alejandro Grimaldo also has nine).
Lecce – Nikola Stulic
After a run of 13 Serie A matches without scoring, Nikola Stulic has netted two goals in his five most recent appearances for Lecce.
However, the striker is yet to find the net away from home in the current campaign, with his last away league goal dating back to May 4, 2025, against Standard Liege for Sporting Charleroi.
MATCH PREDICTION: INTER WIN
Inter have won their last six Serie A matches against Lecce, scoring at least two goals in each of those games (16 goals – 2.7 on average). The Nerazzurri have managed seven consecutive wins against Lecce in Serie A on only one occasion, between 1991 and 1999.
And Inter have the highest home win percentage against Lecce, winning 95% (18 of 19, L1), among sides faced at home on at least 15 occasions.
Chivu's side drew their last Serie A match against Napoli, after 19 league games without a single draw (W15 L4). They have not registered consecutive draws in the competition since May-August 2024 (three in that instance against Lazio, Verona and Genoa).
Lecce, meanwhile, have lost their last five Serie A matches, without scoring a single goal, against teams that were top of the league before kick-off. Among these five defeats, two were against Inter (2-0 in December 2023 and 4-0 in February 2024).
They drew their last Serie A away game (1-1 against Juventus on January 3), and they have not avoided defeat in consecutive away league matches in this campaign. The last time they did so in a single top-flight season was in the last three away games of last season (W1 D2).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Inter – 79.4%
Draw – 12.6%
Lecce – 8%