Ruben Amorim is eager for his AC Milan side to bounce back from a difficult spell as they host Lecce at San Siro on Sunday.
AC Milan are desperate to end a difficult period at the start of the season despite opening their campaign in impressive fashion. Amorim’s side are winless in their last three matches, including their midweek Europa League opener. Before that, they drew against Juventus and Lazio.
Milan came close to securing a victory over Juventus, only for a late equaliser to ensure the points were shared. The draw against Lazio was more eventful, as the Rossoneri fought back from two goals down to claim a point.
However, when Amorim hosted his former club Benfica at San Siro, Milan opened their Europa League campaign with a defeat. The manager will now hope that result marked the end of their difficult spell.
Milan will host Lecce, who have not beaten the Rossoneri at San Siro since the start of the century. The hosts have an excellent record against their visitors, and Amorim will hope that it inspires his side to victory as they look to enter the lengthy international break with some momentum.
Lecce have made a decent start to their league campaign, winning two of their opening four matches and occupying a mid-table position ahead of Sunday’s visit to San Siro. After opening the campaign with a victory over Venezia, Lecce suffered back-to-back defeats against Roma and Cagliari before recovering with a win over Monza.
Eusebio Di Francesco will hope to secure another positive result at San Siro, but Lecce’s record at the stadium has been poor, particularly against Milan. The visitors may have a slight advantage in terms of momentum, but they are nowhere near being favourites for this contest.
Team News & Tactics
AC Milan
Amorim could return to his strongest lineup after making several changes during the midweek defeat to Benfica. He rested key midfielder Luka Modric completely, and the veteran Croatian is expected to return alongside Adrien Rabiot and Mario Gila.
Gila should replace Filippo Terracciano in defence, starting alongside Koni De Winter and Strahinja Pavlovic.
There could also be further changes in other areas of the team, with Christian Pulisic in contention to make his first Serie A start after playing the entire second half in midweek. Adrien Rabiot and Ardon Jashari are also expected to feature, while Amorim could select Diego Moreira at left wing-back.
Goncalo Ramos has produced several below-par performances, but Amorim may continue to lead the line for the time being in the hope that the summer signing can improve his form significantly.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Maignan; Gila, De Winter, Pavlovic; Chukwueze, Modric, Jashari, Moreira; Pulisic, Rabiot; Ramos
Lecce
Unlike his counterpart in the opposite dugout, Di Francesco has several injury-related absentees in his squad. Willem Geubbels, Omri Gandelman and Medon Berisha are all expected to miss out, while the manager is likely to use a 4-3-3 formation at San Siro.
However, Di Francesco has two midfielders in excellent form. Lassana Coulibaly and Ivan Ilic are expected to feature in the engine room and will hope to add to their impressive numbers this season.
Oumar Ngom is also expected to start alongside them. In defence, Jamil Siebert and Tiago Gabriel should form the central partnership, with Danilo Veiga and Antonio Gallo providing support from the flanks.
Up front, Nikola Stulic is expected to lead the line for Lecce, with Santiago Pierotti on the right wing and Joel Monteiro operating from the left.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Falcone; Veiga, Siebert, Gabriel, Gallo; Ngom, Ilic, Coulibaly; Pierotti, Stulic, Monteiro
Key Stats
- AC Milan are unbeaten in their opening four Serie A matches.
- The Rossoneri have won their last four home matches against Lecce.
- Lecce have won two and lost two of their opening four Serie A matches.
- Lecce have failed to beat Milan in their last 17 meetings across all competitions.
Player to Watch
Christian Pulisic
Amorim needs his strongest squad available to get the best out of his team, and Pulisic is an important part of that equation. After a difficult summer dealing with the injury he suffered at the World Cup, the American is gradually returning to full fitness.
Having played two halves of football, Pulisic is expected to make his first start of the season against Lecce. He came on as a substitute in the match against Lazio and provided an assist for one of Milan’s goals. Amorim will hope the American can go one step further by getting on the scoresheet on Sunday, as his presence could provide a major boost to Milan’s attacking setup.
Prediction
AC Milan 2-0 Lecce
Lecce may enter this match with slightly more momentum than their hosts, but their poor record at San Siro against Milan must be taken into account. They could still put up a fight, but they are unlikely to be considered capable of taking anything from the contest.
Amorim will want his players to show character, and some important attacking changes could help Milan secure a comfortable victory. The defence is also expected to keep a clean sheet, although there is always a chance that the Rossoneri could concede an occasional goal.