Lecce vs. AC Milan - Saturday, March 8th, 2025 - 18:00 (CET) - Serie A Round 28

danilo1899

Milan Veteran
Joined
Nov 10, 2014
Messages
1,357
Reaction score
7,121
Location
Croatia
Damn, 6hrs until the game & no match thread yet... Thank you Ibra & co. for squeezing out that little bit of enthusiasm we had left in us.

It's up to me obviously to kick-start our resurgence with my match thread opening magic, let's just hope it will be better than the last time.

Streams:

The following preview is an article from sempremilan, written by Isak Möller.


In the 28th round of Serie A action, AC Milan are up against Lecce away from home and after three consecutive defeats, they are in dire need of three points.

It has been a tough season for the Rossoneri fans, but the last few weeks have been a new low. As a result of three consecutive defeats, the team is in 9th place and could miss out on European football entirely, which says everything.

Speaking at the press conference earlier today, Sergio Conceicao highlighted that it’s been a very good week of training at Milanello. Given the extra time, he has finally been able to work on some important tactics, which perhaps will make a difference.


Game date: Saturday, March 8
Kick-off time: 18:00 (CET)
Venue: Via Del Mare
Referee: Daniele Doveri (VAR: Chiffi)


Team news​

Conceicao has been able to work with the players for a full week for the first time, more or less, and he sounded very positive about the outcome during the presser. Alessandro Florenzi, who had been absent since July last year due to an ACL tear, has even returned to training.

On the other hand, Ruben Loftus-Cheek remains on the injury list while the likes of Mike Maignan and Strahinja Pavlovic will be suspended. Yunus Musah is the only player at risk of receiving a suspension, one yellow card away.

There have been different reports on the starting eleven for this game, seeing as Conceicao is expected to make quite a few changes. It might not be the maxi-rotation that some thought initially, though, as Theo Hernandez looks set to keep his starting spot on the left.

Malick Thiaw will replace the suspended Pavlovic, teaming up with Matteo Gabbia, while Kyle Walker has fully recovered and thus will start on the left. In midfield, Warren Bondo looks set to get his debut for the club and rather than Youssouf Fofana, he should team up with Yunus Musah in the tandem.

Further up the pitch, Alex Jimenez should be the starting right-winger with Christian Pulisic moving to the left instead, resulting in Rafael Leao on the bench. Tijjani Reijnders will occupy the No.10, which is good news, while there will be a battle between Tammy Abraham and Santiago Gimenez up front.

Riccardo Sottil was initially reported among the starters but it seems he will be on the bench, and the same can be said for Davide Bartesaghi. The latter could have replaced Hernandez but Conceicao hinted that almost all players have been working well in training (evidently including the Frenchman).

Predicted Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Sportiello; Walker, Gabbia, Thiaw, Theo; Bondo, Musah; Jimenez, Reijnders, Pulisic; Abraham/Gimenez.

Sky Milan predicted XI lecce


The opponents​

As was expected, it has been a season with ups and downs for Lecce, mostly downs. They parted ways with Luca Gotti in November of last year after achieving just two wins in the opening 12 games. Marco Giampaolo, the former Milan manager, was brought in to salvage the situation.

In 15 league games with the club, the manager has bagged four wins, four draws and seven defeats. It’s not that much better than Gotti, in other words, but at least they have pulled themselves out of the relegation zone with three points to spare.

Of course, they will need to pick up in order to avoid making the drop, as they only have two draws in the last four games. Giampaolo made it clear during his press conference that they must focus on their own issues, as they are very much there, rather than looking at Milan’s form.

Santiago Pierotti, who has four goals and two assists this season, missed the last game due to a minor discomfort but Giampaolo suggested that he will be available tomorrow. Without a doubt, his presence would be a huge boost for the home side.

The likes of Nikola Krstovic, Thórir Jóhann Helgason and Lameck Banda have also recovered and will be at Giampaolo’s disposal tomorrow. In short, the manager will be able to rely on a strong squad and there are thus few excuses against Milan tomorrow, especially given the Rossoneri’s form.

It should be noted that the former Milan player, Ante Rebic, will be on the bench tomorrow and perhaps he will get a cameo as well. It would certainly be typical if he were to find the back of the net, as he did so many times for the Rossoneri.

Predicted Lecce XI (4-3-3): Falcone; Guilbert, Baschirotto, Jean, Gallo; Coulibaly, Pierret, Berisha; Pierotti, Krstovic, Morente.

Sky lecce predicted XI milan


Head to head​

Milan and Lecce have been up against each other 44 times in all competitions, with the Rossoneri prevailing in 26 of these games (including the reverse fixture, 3-0 win). 15 of them ended in draws, while the Via del Mare side only have two wins to their name. In short, there is a clear favourite on paper in this fixture.

Of course, as the key facts below also highlight, Milan are in very poor form and this could perhaps be the perfect opportunity for Lecce to make it three wins against the Rossoneri. They also need the win in the relegation battle, so they will certainly be more determined.

The last time Milan travelled to the Via del Mare, the game finished 2-2 after Stefano Pioli’s side squandered a two-goal lead. It could have been a defeat, but a late goal from Lecce was later disallowed by VAR for a foul in the build-up.
 

danilo1899

Milan Veteran
Joined
Nov 10, 2014
Messages
1,357
Reaction score
7,121
Location
Croatia

Key facts and stats​

➤ AC Milan have lost only two of their 37 games against Lecce in Serie A (W22 D13); among the teams they have faced at least 30 times in the top-flight, only against SPAL (97%) do the Rossoneri post a higher percentage of matches without defeat than against Leece (95%).

➤ Lecce have won only one home game against AC Milan in Serie A (April 2006 under Roberto Rizzo). In addition, at Lecce’s home, the Rossoneri have won the only game in their history in the top-flight after trailing by three goals: from 3-0 to 3-4 in October 2011.

➤ Lecce have not scored in their last four Serie A games and could fail to score five matches in a row in a single Serie A campaign for the first time since April 2023. However, Milan have lost by conceding two or more goals in each of their last three league games and only three times in their history have recorded more defeats in a row in the competition with 2+ goals conceded (the last being a run of five, between March and April 1974).

➤ Only Monza (-22) have a worse points difference than AC Milan after the first 27 games played in Serie A compared to the last edition of the competition: the Rossoneri have won just 41 points in Serie A this season, having accumulated 56 in the first 27 games played in 2023/24, with a negative difference of -15.

➤ AC Milan are averaging 1.52 points per game in Serie A this season. The last time they recorded a lower average in Serie A was in 2015/16, when the Rossoneri finished the season in seventh place, with 57 points from 38 games (exactly 1.50 points per game).

➤ Sérgio Conceição has averaged 1.40 points per game as AC Milan manager in Serie A this season. The previous coach to have averaged less than 1.50 per game with the Rossoneri in Serie A was current Lecce coach Marco Giampaolo (1.29 in 2019/20).

➤ According to the Expected Goals model, Lecce and AC Milan are two of the three teams that have the worst difference between goals scored and xG recorded in Serie A this season: -6.6 for the Salento side (24.6 xG and 18 goals) and -5.2 for the Rossoneri (44.2 xG, 39 goals) – among them Cagliari with -5.9.

➤ AC Milan have collected 16 red cards in all competitions in the last two seasons, at least two more than any other Serie A team in this period (followed by Hellas Verona on 14). Notably, four of these red cards have come in 2025: Yunus Musah against Dinamo Zagreb and Theo Hernández against Feyenoord in the UEFA Champions League, Fikayo Tomori against Empoli and Strahinja Pavlovic in the last round against Lazio in Serie A.

➤ AC Milan are the team with which Ante Rebic has played the most games (100) and scored the most goals (27) in his career in the five major European leagues. Against the Rossoneri, he has recorded one win (in April 2016 with Hellas Verona) and one defeat (in the reverse fixture this season) in two previous Serie A matches, without scoring a goal.

➤ Since his Serie A debut (on 8 February against Empoli), no AC Milan player has completed more dribbles (10, level with Rafael Leão), has won more fouls in the final third (three) and attempted more shots (15) than João Félix in Serie A. Furthermore, excluding defenders, only Youssouf Fofana (15) has regained possession on more occasions than the Portuguese among Milan players during this period (14, level with Yunus Musah and Tijjani Reijnders, but among these three he has played the fewest minutes– 356 minutes).


Ones to watch​

Warren Bondo is expected to make his debut for Milan tomorrow so naturally, he’s a player the fans should keep an extra eye on. He impressed many times with Monza but as we all know, it takes a while to get used to a new team.

Up front, it looks like Tammy Abraham will be given the nod ahead of Santiago Gimenez, so it will definitely be interesting to see what he can add to the team. On a good day, as we saw against Roma in the Coppa Italia, he can be very dangerous.

Tammy Abraham of AC Milan
Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images
As for the home side, Federico Baschirotto will be the leader at the back with his impressive physique. While he’s very strong in duels, and quite fast for his size, there are still some vulnerabilities for the Rossoneri to exploit.

Speaking of impressive physique, the same can be said for Nikola Krstovic and Matteo Gabbia, as well as Malick Thiaw, will have to keep a very close eye on him. Aerial duels and runs in behind are likely to be key in that sense.


Prediction​

Milan have truly been in terrible form lately and while Lecce haven’t exactly impressed either, they have at least claimed points. The full week of training should play in Conceicao’s favour but at the same time, the atmosphere remains incredibly tense. As such, I believe it could be another draw.

Lecce 1-1 AC Milan
 

forward

Milan Legend
Joined
Jan 21, 2008
Messages
9,097
Reaction score
4,580
Location
San Siro
EZ game for Lecce :o

But we must sacrifice the 3 points here so our B squad learns to play THE SYSTEM. :star:
 

Pingu

American Calcio Milan
Stream Guru
Joined
Aug 23, 2017
Messages
38,874
Reaction score
51,015
Another weekend, another Milan game.
Another game we should win on paper, but will struggle and concede first only to come back and lose in the final minutes.

tenor.gif
 

Myalon

Starting Eleven
Joined
Jul 20, 2024
Messages
300
Reaction score
607
Reassure me gimenez the attacker is injured? He dared to put it on the bench for Abraham 🤭
 

Deep Fried Pizza & Chips

Probably Maldini's fault
Joined
Aug 25, 2022
Messages
12,359
Reaction score
37,343
Fav. Players
Maldini, Gullit, Savićevićic, Baresi, Rikjaard, Pippo, Desailly
Theo masterclass incoming.

Musah banger from outside the box incoming.

What's this Pulisic in the middle bullshit I'm reading???

Milan to concede a stupid goal incoming.

A TV will be broken.

A red card will be produced.

RnB will be a joy today. A sanctuary of calm and reason in a world of absolute nut cases ruining things.

I love you all... Forza Milan and all that x
 

Soldier_of_god

Milan Legend
Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Messages
36,364
Reaction score
22,984
Location
brisbane
Fav. Players
cr7, Kaka, sheva, zidane, pastore , zlatan ibra,T.silva, jovetic, Arjen robben, drogba, suarez
Damn, 6hrs until the game & no match thread yet... Thank you Ibra & co. for squeezing out that little bit of enthusiasm we had left in us.

It's up to me obviously to kick-start our resurgence with my match thread opening magic, let's just hope it will be better than the last time.

Streams:

The following preview is an article from sempremilan, written by Isak Möller.


In the 28th round of Serie A action, AC Milan are up against Lecce away from home and after three consecutive defeats, they are in dire need of three points.

It has been a tough season for the Rossoneri fans, but the last few weeks have been a new low. As a result of three consecutive defeats, the team is in 9th place and could miss out on European football entirely, which says everything.

Speaking at the press conference earlier today, Sergio Conceicao highlighted that it’s been a very good week of training at Milanello. Given the extra time, he has finally been able to work on some important tactics, which perhaps will make a difference.


Game date: Saturday, March 8
Kick-off time: 18:00 (CET)
Venue: Via Del Mare
Referee: Daniele Doveri (VAR: Chiffi)


Team news​

Conceicao has been able to work with the players for a full week for the first time, more or less, and he sounded very positive about the outcome during the presser. Alessandro Florenzi, who had been absent since July last year due to an ACL tear, has even returned to training.

On the other hand, Ruben Loftus-Cheek remains on the injury list while the likes of Mike Maignan and Strahinja Pavlovic will be suspended. Yunus Musah is the only player at risk of receiving a suspension, one yellow card away.

There have been different reports on the starting eleven for this game, seeing as Conceicao is expected to make quite a few changes. It might not be the maxi-rotation that some thought initially, though, as Theo Hernandez looks set to keep his starting spot on the left.

Malick Thiaw will replace the suspended Pavlovic, teaming up with Matteo Gabbia, while Kyle Walker has fully recovered and thus will start on the left. In midfield, Warren Bondo looks set to get his debut for the club and rather than Youssouf Fofana, he should team up with Yunus Musah in the tandem.

Further up the pitch, Alex Jimenez should be the starting right-winger with Christian Pulisic moving to the left instead, resulting in Rafael Leao on the bench. Tijjani Reijnders will occupy the No.10, which is good news, while there will be a battle between Tammy Abraham and Santiago Gimenez up front.

Riccardo Sottil was initially reported among the starters but it seems he will be on the bench, and the same can be said for Davide Bartesaghi. The latter could have replaced Hernandez but Conceicao hinted that almost all players have been working well in training (evidently including the Frenchman).

Predicted Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Sportiello; Walker, Gabbia, Thiaw, Theo; Bondo, Musah; Jimenez, Reijnders, Pulisic; Abraham/Gimenez.

Sky Milan predicted XI lecce


The opponents​

As was expected, it has been a season with ups and downs for Lecce, mostly downs. They parted ways with Luca Gotti in November of last year after achieving just two wins in the opening 12 games. Marco Giampaolo, the former Milan manager, was brought in to salvage the situation.

In 15 league games with the club, the manager has bagged four wins, four draws and seven defeats. It’s not that much better than Gotti, in other words, but at least they have pulled themselves out of the relegation zone with three points to spare.

Of course, they will need to pick up in order to avoid making the drop, as they only have two draws in the last four games. Giampaolo made it clear during his press conference that they must focus on their own issues, as they are very much there, rather than looking at Milan’s form.

Santiago Pierotti, who has four goals and two assists this season, missed the last game due to a minor discomfort but Giampaolo suggested that he will be available tomorrow. Without a doubt, his presence would be a huge boost for the home side.

The likes of Nikola Krstovic, Thórir Jóhann Helgason and Lameck Banda have also recovered and will be at Giampaolo’s disposal tomorrow. In short, the manager will be able to rely on a strong squad and there are thus few excuses against Milan tomorrow, especially given the Rossoneri’s form.

It should be noted that the former Milan player, Ante Rebic, will be on the bench tomorrow and perhaps he will get a cameo as well. It would certainly be typical if he were to find the back of the net, as he did so many times for the Rossoneri.

Predicted Lecce XI (4-3-3): Falcone; Guilbert, Baschirotto, Jean, Gallo; Coulibaly, Pierret, Berisha; Pierotti, Krstovic, Morente.

Sky lecce predicted XI milan


Head to head​

Milan and Lecce have been up against each other 44 times in all competitions, with the Rossoneri prevailing in 26 of these games (including the reverse fixture, 3-0 win). 15 of them ended in draws, while the Via del Mare side only have two wins to their name. In short, there is a clear favourite on paper in this fixture.

Of course, as the key facts below also highlight, Milan are in very poor form and this could perhaps be the perfect opportunity for Lecce to make it three wins against the Rossoneri. They also need the win in the relegation battle, so they will certainly be more determined.

The last time Milan travelled to the Via del Mare, the game finished 2-2 after Stefano Pioli’s side squandered a two-goal lead. It could have been a defeat, but a late goal from Lecce was later disallowed by VAR for a foul in the build-up.
Why isn’t Giménez playing?

And also fuck that
Not watching
 

Buske

Milan Legend
Joined
Sep 19, 2008
Messages
6,309
Reaction score
5,068
Who will get the red this time?
I hope ref will make at least one mistake so Conc will have something to hold on in aftermatch interview
 

WILL2K

Magical Milan
Joined
Feb 19, 2006
Messages
7,437
Reaction score
6,875
Location
Budapest, Hungary
Fav. Players
Pippo , Maldini , Kaka , Zizou ..
I actually like the lineup and excited to see Bondo.
 

Bringfriends

Starting Eleven
Joined
Nov 2, 2021
Messages
704
Reaction score
3,614

Gimenez starting, obviously no point going with Abraham, as he is not our player and hopefully we won't redeem him.
Have no idea what to expect of Bondo, curious to see how he plays.
Musah starting will never be a good thing, but I guess we don't have any good midfielders anyway atm...praying for summer reinforcements there.
 

Fabio

U mirin brah?
Joined
Oct 6, 2014
Messages
7,199
Reaction score
9,477
Location
Germany
Fav. Players
Kaká, Cafu, Ronaldinho, Pato, Dida, Gattuso, Balotelli, Borini, Honda, Saelemaekers
Kill me
 

Buske

Milan Legend
Joined
Sep 19, 2008
Messages
6,309
Reaction score
5,068
Gimenez starting, obviously no point going with Abraham, as he is not our player and hopefully we won't redeem him.
Have no idea what to expect of Bondo, curious to see how he plays.
Musah starting will never be a good thing, but I guess we don't have any good midfielders anyway atm...praying for summer reinforcements there.
I dont see a point starting Abraham but not Jovic anytime.
If they wanted to get rid of Jovic why extend him then..useless harvard strategies
 

danilo1899

Milan Veteran
Joined
Nov 10, 2014
Messages
1,357
Reaction score
7,121
Location
Croatia
Only excited to see G7 & Bondo play... If I see Tiji in a 6 again this little hair I've got left will fall off! Theo again... Just kill me!
 
  • LOL
Reactions: WaL

Caladan

Milan Legend
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Messages
5,012
Reaction score
10,018
Location
Poland
Fav. Players
Maldini, Gattuso, Kaka, Pato,
Another weekend, another Milan game.
Another game we should win on paper, but will struggle and concede first only to come back and lose in the final minutes.

tenor.gif
 

Master Smurf

Milan Legend
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
20,980
Reaction score
41,589
Location
Cayman Islands
Fav. Players
Baggio, Weah, Bergkamp, Becks, Sheva, Kaka, Rooney, Kun, Thiago Silva, Pato, Kessie
If we can't beat GP with a side that hasn't scored in the last 6 then ....

Well I think we have already run out comparisons or exaggerated statements.

Forza Milan
 

Master Smurf

Milan Legend
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
20,980
Reaction score
41,589
Location
Cayman Islands
Fav. Players
Baggio, Weah, Bergkamp, Becks, Sheva, Kaka, Rooney, Kun, Thiago Silva, Pato, Kessie
Let's goooooo

Edit;Looks offside ?

Edit 2: ah boy
 

Ryo

Billy's Right Peg
Joined
Aug 21, 2015
Messages
14,588
Reaction score
38,771
Fav. Players
Kaka, Billy, George, Marco, Paolo, Sandro, Fik, Pierre, Theo, Mike & Rafa
Conceicao Ball.
Gimenez with a 4th goal now.

Oh wait, offside?
Too bad I guess. LMAO.
This team...
 

Pingu

American Calcio Milan
Stream Guru
Joined
Aug 23, 2017
Messages
38,874
Reaction score
51,015
Yeah OK, just off... oh no.
 

Schedule
Top