AC MILAN v LECCE: MATCH PREVIEW

AC Milan hadn't played on a Saturday afternoon since the away fixture when Lecce came back to draw (2-2) during the most complicated and delicate phase of the Rossoneri's season. It's an important weekend to strengthen second place, continue the good form and look forward to the upcoming Europa League tie. Here is the Serie A Match Preview for our Matchday 31.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
AC Milan are sailing in safe waters. Winning in Florence has boosted confidence, allowing to calmly approach today's match. Several days of training have taken place at Milanello. However, after Lecce, due to the Europa League, the workload will be much more fragmented, so energies from now on must be spent particularly carefully. The good news: Hernández is back, and Kjær has recovered. The negative news is Thiaw's absence (plantar fasciitis), plus Loftus-Cheek is suspended. Pulisic could potentially replace the Englishman, with Chukwueze operating on the right flank. Players at risk of suspension: Musah and Tomori.

"We are entering the most important stage of the season in good condition," said Pioli in the post-game press conference, "above all mentally. The squad has regained that serenity and energy that comes from performances and the environment around them. It will be a tough match because they are a team that wants to play and knows how to do it. Consistency is too important at this moment; we must only focus on delivering the best performance on the field."

LATEST FROM LECCE
Lecce lead the group of teams aiming for safety. Currently four points above the relegation zone, it's a precarious position but they're on the up following a change at the helm in the middle of March with Gotti coming in to replace D'Aversa and picking up four points in two games until the break: the crucial away win in Salerno (1-0) and a precious draw against Roma (0-0). Many certainties: from the goalkeeper Falcone to the striker Krstović, top scorer and focal point. Among the key players are also Almqvist and Banda, alongside Gendrey, Oudin, and Piccoli. Unavailable: Dermaku and Kaba.

"AC Milan are at the top of the table," said Gotti "They're in excellent form and will force us to make some adjustments. An important aspect of such matches is that they won't have a certain game management, so we'll need strength and personality to manage the ball and stay in the game."

PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• AC Milan have won nine out of the last ten home games against Lecce in Serie A (one draw), scoring 29 goals during this period and conceding only six.
• Only Napoli (507), Inter (466), and Juventus (428) have attempted more shots than AC Milan (417) and Lecce (411) this season; while AC Milan have a shooting accuracy of 13.7% (the third highest), Lecce's is the lowest (6.3%, tied with Empoli).
• AC Milan are the only team to have taken maximum points since the beginning of March: twelve points out of twelve, defeating Lazio, Empoli, Hellas Verona, and Fiorentina.
• Since 2004/05, only in 2005/06 (67) and 2011/12 (60) have AC Milan scored more than the current 57 goals in the first 30 league matches.
• Leão is the Serie A player who has been involved in the most goals in 2024 across all competitions: 13 in 17 appearances (seven goals and six assists). Lecce are one of the teams against which the Portuguese has scored the most in Serie A (4 goals, tied with Fiorentina), including a brace in April 2023 at San Siro.

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN v LECCE
In Italy, the match will be broadcast by DAZN. To watch AC Milan v Lecce in a different country, you can consult the "AC Milan on TV" webpage, by clicking on the heading "Abroad". On the Rossoneri channels, Milan TV will provide live matchday coverage starting from 14:00 CEST and continuing up until shortly before kick-off. After full-time, there will be interviews and Coach Pioli's press conference. Also not to be missed is the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App and our official social media profiles.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
The referee is 35-year-old Luca Massimi, officiating his 35th Serie A match. There are no previous encounters with AC Milan for the Molise-born referee, but one with Lecce in the 2023/24 season, the 2-0 home victory against Salernitana in September. Completing the team are assistant referees Baccini and Yoshikawa, fourth official Colombo, and VAR Marini; Valeri is the AVAR.

Matchday 31 kicked off on Friday with Salernitana 1-1 Sassuolo. Today, AC Milan v Lecce at 15:00 CEST, Roma v Lazio at 18:00 CEST, Empoli v Torino at 20:45. CEST. On Sunday, Frosinone v Bologna at 12:30 CEST, Monza v Napoli at 15:00 CEST, Cagliari v Atalanta and Hellas Verona v Genoa at 18:00 CEST, Juventus v Fiorentina at 20:45 CEST. On Monday, Udinese v Inter at 20:45 CEST.

Serie A table: Inter 79; AC Milan 65; Juventus 59; Bologna 57; Roma 52; Atalanta** 50; Lazio 46; Napoli 45; Torino 44; Fiorentina** 43; Monza 42; Genoa 35; Lecce 29; Udinese 28; Hellas Verona and Cagliari 27; Empoli, Frosinone and Sassuolo* 25; Salernitana* 15. (* = played one game more) (** = game in hand)

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