AC MILAN v LECCE: MATCH PREVIEW

"The derby as a starting point," said Youssouf Fofana on the eve of AC Milan v Lecce, a Serie A Matchday 6 fixture. Let's build from here, especially after Sunday night's win against Inter, aiming for continuity and to secure our third consecutive victory in the league. Lecce, managed by Gotti, is coming to San Siro, with the match kicking off at 20:45 CEST. It's the perfect opportunity to win again and to confirm our progress and the positive feelings from the Derby.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
It's been a "short week" of work for our players, who gathered on Tuesday to begin preparations for the clash against the Salentini. A winning team doesn't change, so it's highly likely that most of the starting lineup from the derby will be confirmed for the match against Lecce, with Tomori and Gabbia at the heart of the defence. Morale is high, providing the perfect boost to continue performing well. Calabria is close to fitness but seems more likely to feature against Leverkusen in the Champions League. Morata is also doubtful, as confirmed by the coach at the press conference, due to a knock sustained during training. Abraham is expected to start.

Fonseca spoke in the press conference: "The victory in the derby only makes sense if we win against Lecce and confirm our progress. We're facing a dangerous match; it's more complicated to manage because we need to make it clear to the players that we must be the same and play in the same way. We're at a point where we can't afford mistakes, we need to win. Furthermore, we still feel far from 100%; we've improved, but we can and must do even better".

LATEST FROM LECCE
A very different moment for Gotti's Salentini, who has only 5 points after 5 matchdays. On Saturday night, they suffered a double comeback against Parma, watching victory slip away between the 93rd and 95th minutes. Earlier in the week, they also faced a 2-0 home defeat in the Coppa Italia against Sassuolo, who will be meeting AC Milan in the Round of 16. Defender Guilbert will definitely be absent due to suspension, with Dorgu expected to take his place. The injured Kaba, Sansone, Berisha, and Bonifazi will also miss out. Pierotti and Krstović are in the squad but are not expected to start due to a lack of match fitness. We will welcome Ante Rebić back to San Siro for this match; the former Rossonero was signed by Lecce in the recent summer transfer window and is likely to start in a possible 4-4-2.

Here's what Gotti said in the press conference on the eve of the match: "The principle is always to give our utmost potential. Our injury list is quite crowded, with many minor issues. I will try to field the best eleven I can, so I don't think I'll be able to focus on the opponents".

PRE-MATCH STATS

• AC Milan remains unbeaten in 24 of their last 25 encounters against Lecce in Serie A (13 wins, 11 draws), averaging 2.3 goals per match (57 goals scored), with the only victory for the Salentini during this period dating back to 1 April 2006 (1-0 at the Via del Mare, scored by Axel Konan).
• The Rossoneri have been unbeaten in 15 of their last 16 home matches in Serie A (10 wins, 5 draws), scoring in each of these games (37 goals, averaging 2.3 per match).
• AC Milan has scored 11 goals this season (the best attack so far in Serie A 2024/25). In the previous 21 Serie A seasons, only in 2020/21 (12 goals) did they score more after the first five league matches.
• Lecce is the team against which Rafael Leão has scored the most goals in Serie A: five goals in six encounters, including a brace on 23 April 2023, at San Siro. More specifically, of the 48 goals scored by the Portuguese player in Serie A, two have come from headers, both against Lecce (on 22 June 2020, and 23 April 2023).

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN v LECCE
In Italy, the game will be live on DAZN, Sky and NOW. To watch AC Milan v Lecce from a different country, please consult the 'AC Milan on TV' page. Follow Matchday on Milan TV: the live will begin at 20:00 CEST until kick-off, with the game being followed by the interviews and press conference from Fonseca. Don't miss out on our coverage via acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App, our official social media channels and WhatsApp.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Luca Zufferli will be the referee for the match. The 34-year-old made his Serie A debut during the 2022/23 season and has officiated two matches in the top flight so far in the 2024/25 season. He has no previous encounters with the Rossoneri, only one with our opponents. The assistants will be Raspollini and Scarpa, with Feliciani as the fourth official, Di Bello as the VAR, and Mazzoleni as the AVAR.

In Matchday 6 the action kicks off today - Friday 27 September - with the match at San Siro, AC Milan v Lecce at 20:45 CEST. Saturday opens with Udinese v Inter at 15:00 CEST, followed by Genoa v Juventus at 18:00 CEST, and finally Bologna v Atalanta at 20:45 CEST. Sunday's schedule starts with the lunchtime match at 12:30 CEST, Torino v Lazio. Following that, at 15:00 CEST, we have Roma v Venezia and Como v Hellas Verona. At 18:00 CEST, it's Empoli v Fiorentina, and the day concludes with Napoli v Monza at 20:45 CEST. On Monday night, we have Parma v Cagliari at 20:45 CEST at the Tardini.

Current table: Torino 11; Napoli and Udinese 10; Juventus and Empoli 9; Inter and AC Milan 8; Lazio 7; Roma, Hellas Verona, Fiorentina, Atalanta and Bologna 6; Parma, Como, Genoa and Lecce 5; Venezia 4; Monza 3; Cagliari 2. 

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