Preview: AC Milan vs Lecce – prediction, team news, lineups

After their derby fun last week, AC Milan are aiming for their third win in a row in Serie A at the welcome on Friday evening Lecce to San Siro.

The Rossoneri’s victory over old opponents Inter Milan eased the pressure Paulo Fonsecaand now his team faces opponents who haven’t won since August.

Game preview

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After six derby defeats in a row, Milan finally beat Inter last Sunday at the San Siro, with a young fan Matteo Gabbia He proved the hero by scoring a late goal that secured the long-awaited 2-1 win.

The first Derby della Madonnina of the season came amid talks of a coaching change at the Rossoneri, who lost their Champions League opener at home to Liverpool and also endured their worst start to Serie A since 2018.

However, under-fire head coach Paulo Fonseca made the bold decision to change the formation for the derby and it ultimately paid off Christian Pulisic Milan quickly took the lead and Gabbia later scored the winning goal in the 89th minute.

Due to the back-to-back league wins, Fonseca’s side are now in sixth place in the table with eight points from five games so far.

Ahead of a difficult Champions League game next week in Leverkusen, Milan will look to secure a third point from three in Serie A when they face one of their favorite opponents.

Pulisic scored the first goal for the Rossoneri in a 3-0 win in their last game against Lecce, against whom they are unbeaten in 12 league games, winning seven times.

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In fact, Lecce is aiming for the first victory in meetings between the two teams in the top division since April 2006, having beaten the team from the second city with 29:12 points since their last victory.

Current form does not suggest that this could change on Friday Luca GottiThe Italian side are seeking their first win since August after being knocked out of the Coppa Italia at home to second division opponents in midweek.

While Sassuolo can claim to be one of the strongest teams in Serie B this season, the 2-0 defeat at the Stadio Via del Mare further dented the confidence of a Lecce team who had just dropped two points to Parma.

Goals from Patrick Dorgu And Nikola Krstovic had put the Salentini on course for victory last week, but two goals in stoppage time turned the game on its head and their visitors somehow saved a draw.

It was a bitter setback for Gotti and Co. – as was the cup exit – but they are unbeaten in at least three Serie A games before their daunting trip to San Siro.

AC Milan Serie A form:

AC Milan form (all competitions):

Lecce Serie A form:

Lecce form (all competitions):

Team news

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After leading Milan’s attack Alvaro Morata And Tammy Abraham In the derby, it remains to be seen whether Paulo Fonseca will stick with the two strikers up front or return to a more familiar formation.

Either way, Rafael Leao and top scorer Christian Pulisic should provide support from the back unless Fonseca decides to rotate his resources ahead of a difficult Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen. Noah Okafor And Samu Chukwueze are on standby.

Marco Sportiello (Hand), Ishmael Bennacer (ankle) and Alessandro Florenzi (ACL), apart from the captain, everyone is out due to injury Davide Calabria (muscular).

Lecce made a number of changes for Tuesday’s cup game, notably resting a key defender Federico Bashirotto and star striker Nikola Krstovic, the latter the only Giallorossi player to have scored more than once this season.

Luca Gotti will bring both men back into the visitors’ starting line-up along with the starting goalkeeper Vladimir Falcone – and possibly ex-Milan striker Ante Rebic.

French full-back Frederick Guilbert was sent off in the second half of the draw against Parma last week, allowing the versatile Patrick Dorgu to return to defence; in the meantime, Mohamed Kaba (ACL) and Medon Berisha (thighs) are injured.

Possible AC Milan starting lineup:
Maignan; Emerson, Tomori, Gabbia, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus Cheek, Leao; Abraham

Lecce possible starting lineup:
Falcone; Dorgu, Gaspar, Bashirotto, Gallo; Ramadani, Coulibaly; Morente, Rebic, Banda; Krstovic

We say: AC Milan – Lecce 2-0

With Milan in good spirits after the derby and Lecce not usually traveling well, the hosts should be on their way to a regular win at the San Siro.

While there are still questions about defense, the Rossoneri have a wealth of talent in attack and Paulo Fonseca is now starting to capitalize on it.

For data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this game, please click here.

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