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

Aiming to apply more pressure to their title rivals, AC Milan will host Serie A strugglers Lecce on Sunday evening.

The Salentini return to San Siro after losing to Inter Milan in midweek, when the Rossoneri fought back to beat Como.

Match preview

Catching up on a game delayed by their trip to Saudi Arabia for the Supercoppa Italiana, Milan visited Lombardy rivals Como on Thursday night, with the pair only separated by six points.

That gap seemed set to narrow when the Lariani struck first, before Mike Maignan pulled off a remarkable stop; his close-range save sparked a Rossoneri revival.

Despite giving up most of the ball and conceding 18 shots, Milan were ruthless on the break, as Christopher Nkunku coolly dispatched a penalty and Adrien Rabiot bagged a match-winning brace.

After their latest comeback - having previously snatched late draws against Genoa and Fiorentina - Max Allegri's men have now gained 13 points from losing positions, which is a league-high tally in Serie A.

That resilience has kept their Scudetto hopes alive, in addition to extending a long unbeaten streak: Milan last lost a league game on the opening matchday.

Having matched their best such run since 2004, the Rossoneri are now targeting a total of 23 set during the 1992-93 campaign, under legendary coach Fabio Capello.

As Milan have previously won 15 of 19 home games against Lecce, history suggests they should take one step closer on Sunday - but Allegri's side have failed to beat some of Serie A's lesser lights this season.

Following a 2-0 defeat in the reverse fixture, Lecce have won just one of their last 28 league meetings with Milan, and that sole success dates back nearly two decades.

The Salentini's latest scrap for survival continues this weekend, when they return to Italy's second city just a few days after losing to Inter.

Sitting precariously above the bottom three, Eusebio Di Francesco's side have made a slow start to 2026, picking up a single point so far.

In the past week, Lecce have been beaten by relegation rivals Parma after going down to nine men, before succumbing to defeat at San Siro, where they bravely held out for 77 minutes but still lost 1-0.

For all their defensive defiance, it was a typically tame display in attack; after firing another blank against Inter, the southern club sit rock-bottom of Serie A's goals chart.

AC Milan Serie A form:

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AC Milan form (all competitions):

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Lecce Serie A form:

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Team News

It remains to be seen if Milan defender Strahinja Pavlovic will fully recover from a head injury, having needed nine stitches after an aerial collision last Sunday.

Koni De Winter deputised for the Serbian centre-back in Como, so he remains on standby to do so again.

As only Santiago Gimenez is definitely unavailable, Allegri now has plenty of attacking options to choose from.

Top scorer Christian Pulisic could partner Rafael Leao or recent arrival Niclas Fullkrug, though Nkunku has posted five goal involvements in his last four league matches.

Another Milan-owned forward, Francesco Camarda must miss out on a reunion with his parent club, as the Lecce loanee is still sidelined with a shoulder problem; Nikola Stulic should start up front.

Di Francesco is also missing suspended defenders Danilo Veiga and Kialonda Gaspar, but Lameck Banda and midfield mainstay Ylber Ramadani can both return after serving one-match bans.

Only Medon Berisha joins Camarda on Lecce's injury list, as Tete Morente returned to action on Wednesday.

AC Milan possible starting lineup:

Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, De Winter; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Leao

Lecce possible starting lineup:

Falcone; Kouassi, Gabriel, Siebert, Gallo; Coulibaly, Ramadani; Pierotti, Gandelman, Sottil; Stulic

We say: AC Milan 3-0 Lecce

Despite beating several of their closest rivals - most recently Como - Milan have actually drawn four of their last five games against teams stuck inside Serie A's bottom five.

Even so, Lecce were fairly tepid against Inter and they will be missing half their defence through suspension; it could be another busy night for ever-present goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.