Buoyed by last weekend’s derby win against Inter, Milan return to Serie A action on Friday with a routine-looking home match against perennial strugglers Lecce. Taking the San Siro field with newfound confidence, Paulo Fonseca’s men come into proceedings on the back of back-to-back league wins for the first time since a run of five in April.
Matteo Gabbia soaked up the limelight as the Rossoneri hero in the Derby della Madonnina last Sunday, scoring an 89th-minute header to end Milan’s six-game losing streak against Inter. Only time can tell whether it was just a one-off or a turning point for Fonseca’s tenure.
Lecce’s upcoming visit is seemingly a prime opportunity for Milan to build on their derby success and potentially reduce a three-point gap on table-topping Torino. After a three-match winless start (D2, L1), the hosts are back on track, but Fonseca’s future in Lombardy remains under scrutiny.
Therefore, Milan can ill-afford to drop points against bottom-half Lecce. The visitors paid a heavy price for complacency against Parma last weekend, conceding two unanswered goals in second-half stoppages to draw 2-2 at Stadio Via del Mare.
Nikola Krstovic turned from hero to zero as he wasted a glorious chance to make it 3-0 a moment before the Crusaders cut Lecce’s lead in half. As a result, instead of moving to the upper half of the Serie A standings, Luca Gotti’s team finished the last round just outside the relegation zone.
Match Preview
Milan
Defensive frailties have plagued Fonseca’s early reign at San Siro. Except for a thumping 4-0 home victory against newcomers Venezia in their last home league outing, Milan have failed to keep a clean sheet in all five remaining competitive matches this season.
However, the Portuguese manager has galvanized Rossoneri’s frontline, with Milan starting this matchday as Serie A’s most prolific team with 11 goals. Indeed, they’ve netted at least two goals in all but one top-flight fixture this term, suggesting this could be a long day for Lecce’s porous backline.
Anything other than that would be an upset of epic proportions, not least because Milan have dropped points only twice in home league clashes against this opposition in the 21st century (W10, D2). Chances are the hosts could post a much-needed win ‘to nil’ after registering a shutout in five of the last six meetings between the teams on this ground (W5, D1).
Lecce
Lecce opened the new Serie A season with two consecutive defeats without scoring against Europa League winners Atalanta and Scudetto holders Inter. But they’ve since strung together a three-game unbeaten league streak, including a 0-0 draw at Torino on their last road trip.
That stalemate marked Lecce’s third successive scoring blank in away league action (D2, L1). Finding the net has been a genuine issue for the Giallorossi as they’ve bagged 2+ goals in just two of their last 20 matches in Serie A. Before the abovementioned draw against Parma, they had gone nine straight top-flight fixtures without scoring twice (W1, D4, L4).
Gotti’s experimental line-up against Sassuolo in midweek Coppa Italia action lived up to Lecce’s tag as a misfiring squad. The second-tier Neroverdi crashed Lecce out of the cup competition with a relatively straightforward 2-0 win at Via del Mare.
That was hardly an ideal warm-up ahead of this trip, with Lecce bidding to score in this fixture for the first time since October 2019.
Team News
Long-term absentees Alessandro Florenzi, Marco Sportiello, Ismael Bennacer, and Malick Thiaw have got company in the treatment room. Milan captain Davide Calabria is out of contention due to injury, meaning Emerson Royal should retain his place in the starting XI.
Fonseca altered the formation against Inter, switching to a 4-4-2. It produced the desired effect, but it’s uncertain whether he’d stick with that system on Friday.
As for Lecce, Mohamed Kaba and Medon Berisha are on the sidelines with injuries. French fullback Frederic Guilbert picked up a red card against Parma last time out, with Andy Pelmard likely to take his place on the right-hand side.
Former Milan star Ante Rebic returns to San Siro as a foe, looking to atone for a rookie mistake leading to Sassuolo’s second on Tuesday.
Milan vs Lecce Potential Line-ups
Milan (4-4-2): Mike Maignan; Emerson Royal, Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia, Theo Hernandez; Youssouf Fofana, Tijjani Reijnders, Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao; Tammy Abraham, Alvaro Morata.
Lecce (4-2-3-1): Wladimiro Falcone; Andy Pelmard, Kialonda Gaspar, Federico Baschirotto, Antonino Gallo; Ylber Ramadani, Lassana Coulibaly; Patrick Dorgu, Ante Rebic, Tete Morente; Nikola Krstovic.
Milan vs Lecce Prediction
The feel-good factor is overwhelming as Milan enter this fixture in high spirits, looking to pour more misery on the troubled Lecce. Despite all the defensive setbacks, we can envisage a clear-cut triumph for the home side.
Prediction: Milan to Win
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