Serie A Preview: Milan vs Lecce – Team News, Lineups & Prediction

After a midweek Europa League fiasco, Milan return to San Siro to take on Serie A minnows Lecce , seeking a way out of the recent crisis. With September's international break just around the corner, Ruben Amorim's side must avoid another slip-up to maintain a feel-good factor.

Despite playing three of their four Serie A games this season away from home, Milan head into matchday five as one of just five unbeaten sides (W2, D2). However, after seeing off Torino and Venezia in the opening two rounds, the Rossoneri have dropped four points in their last two league matches.

Juventus scored a last-gasp equalizer to hold Amorim's side to a 1-1 draw in Turin before Diego Moreira 's second-half brace rescued a point for Milan in a 2-2 stalemate at Lazio . Yet, Amorim suffered his first competitive loss in charge of the 19-time Italian champions on Wednesday, as Benfica won 2-0 at this venue.

It was far from a perfect Europa League start for Milan, but they're heavily fancied to return to winning ways against Lecce here. The visitors bounced back from consecutive league defeats with a goal-glutted 3-2 home victory over newly promoted Monza last time out, recording their second win of the season.

Needless to say, this is going to be a much sterner test for Eusebio Di Francesco's charges, not least because Lecce's last Serie A away win over Milan came nearly three decades ago.

Niclas Füllkrug's late winner inspired Milan to a narrow 1-0 triumph in this corresponding fixture last term, keeping their flawless home record against Lecce this century intact. You'd have to go back to October 1997 for Milan's last home league defeat to this opposition, showing just how dominant they've been in this match-up.

Furthermore, Milan haven't lost a competitive meeting with Lecce since April 2006, emerging victorious from their last five Serie A showdowns. As a result, the Rossoneri could make it six wins in a row in this competition for the first time, though it's far from a foregone conclusion, based on their recent performances.

Winless in their last three competitive outings (D2, L1), Milan are at risk of drawing three successive Serie A matches for the first time since September 2018. Returning to San Siro may not necessarily guarantee a route back to winning ways, considering the hosts have lost four of their last six competitive home games (W1, D1).

Milan's recent slump might offer Lecce a glimmer of hope that they could secure a long-awaited win at San Siro, as they seek their first set of back-to-back victories this season. However, consistency has been an issue for Di Francesco's side, with the Giallorossi posting consecutive league triumphs only twice last term.

Despite facing long odds here, Lecce can draw confidence from their impressive road form. They have won three of their last four away league matches (L1), including a 2-0 victory at Venezia on the opening Serie A weekend. With both of Lecce's league wins this season coming to nil, keeping a clean sheet could be vital here.

That could prove a tall order, given that they've conceded multiple goals in 11 of their last 12 league encounters against Milan. Moreover, they've been particularly vulnerable in the opening stages of their Serie A games of late, with seven of their last ten league goals conceded coming within the first 30 minutes.

Amorim has his entire Milan squad fit for this must-win clash. After a stellar second-half display against Lazio, Moreira could make his second Serie A start at the expense of Pervis Estupinan, while Christian Pulisic should line up alongside Alphadjo Cisse behind Goncalo Ramos after regaining match fitness.

Lecce will be without injured center-forward Willem Geubbels , with Nikola Stulic expected to take his place in the starting lineup. Midfielders Medon Berisha and Omri Gandelman are also on the sidelines, meaning Ivan Ilic , who made two assists against Monza, is in line for his second consecutive league start for the Giallorossi.

Milan vs Lecce Potential Starting Lineups

Milan (3-4-2-1): Maignan ; Gila, De Winter , Pavlovic; Chukwueze , Modric , Rabiot , Moreira; Pulisic, Cisse; Ramos.

Lecce (4-3-3): Falcone; Veiga , Siebert, Gabriel, Gallo; Coulibaly, Ilic, Maleh ; Pierotti , Stulic, Monteiro.

Anything other than a win for Milan would be a disaster for Amorim's side, and a bit more urgency from the get-go would come in handy. Each of Milan's seven Serie A goals this season came in the second half, but this feels like a perfect opportunity to buck that trend.