By: Isak Möller

The 21st matchday of Serie A is on the cards for AC Milan, taking on Lecce at home after two consecutive away games. As Massimiliano Allegri has made clear, it’s a game the Rossoneri absolutely have to win.

It’s been a good few days for the Milan faithfuls, following the comeback win against Como, and it will be very important for the team to build on the confidence boost. Not just to remain in the Scudetto race, but also to prove themselves to others.

In his pre-match press conference, Allegri was very clear about the fact that Milan need to win a game at home, for once. Especially since quite a lot of away games are coming up after this one; some difficult ones too it should be added.

Game date: Sunday, January 18
Kick-off time: 20:45 (CET)
Venue: San Siro
Referee: Luca Zufferli (VAR: Luigi Nasca)

Team news

The injury situation has seen a slight development since the game against Como on Thursday. Santiago Gimenez is still recovering from his ankle injury and will remain out for some time, but Strahinja Pavlovic has been called up.

Allegri said during the presser that the Serbian couldn’t even head the ball on Thursday, due to the risk of the stitches opening up, but he has been included on the bench. Anyway, Milan can’t exactly complain about the injury situation.

On the other hand, it’s clear that the tight schedule has drained the players quite a lot. Rafael Leao still hasn’t recovered 100% match fitness, while Luka Modric might need some rest again after a demanding performance against Como.

There are more players that will need to be assessed, as Allegri confirmed, and the physical condition will largely dictate the starting eleven picks. That said, the gaffer already seems to have a pretty good idea of which players will get the chance.

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

The backline should be made up of Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia and Koni De Winter, which doesn’t exactly come as a surprise given Pavlovic’s absence. De Winter has also done quite well in recent games, so there isn’t the same urgency to get the Serbian back.

In midfield, the only changes should be Ruben Loftus-Cheek for Youssouf Fofana and Samuele Ricci for Luka Modric. It seems a final decision hasn’t been made on the Croatian veteran, but Ricci is the favourite to replace him if he does need some rest.

Finally, Christian Pulisic remained on the bench for the entire Como game and will thus be back from start tomorrow. It seems his partner will be Leao despite not being in great shape, but both Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Füllkrug will be knocking on the door for a cameo.

All things considered, also looking at the bench, Allegri is heading into the game with a strong squad that definitely should be able to beat Lecce. The Rossoneri haven’t exactly been great at San Siro lately, though, so let’s wait and see what happens.

Predicted Milan XI (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, De Winter; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Ricci, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Leao.

Predicted Milan bench: Terracciano, Pittarella, Athekame, Odogu, Pavlovic, Estupinan, Fofana, Jashari, Modric, Nkunku, Füllkrug.

Injuries & suspensions: Gimenez.

The opponents

Because of the above, most Milan fans will have a pretty good base knowledge of the Via del Mare side by now. Just to refresh our memories, however, Eusebio Di Francesco is still the coach of the team and the results up until this point have been mixed.

One of the big summer signings, Nikola Stulic, has been unable to fill the boots of his namesake Nikola Krstovic, who left for Atalanta. The Serbian has scored just twice in 19 appearances and it’s one explanation as to why Lecce only have 13 goals so far (lowest in the league!).

With that goal production, you are always going to struggle for points and that has been the case for Lecce. On the other hand, Di Francesco’s men have been able to win by the odd goal four times, three of which were 1-0 wins. Very important points, making up a majority of the 17 claimed so far.

Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images

The recent 1-1 draw against Juventus was certainly a confidence boost for the team, and it also acts as a warning to teams like Milan. The Bianconeri made one mistake on the edge of the box and Lameck Banda, one of the stars, found the back of the net with a great strike.

There are some heavy absences to note, though. Gaspar, who is considered their best defender by many, was sent off against Parma for kicking an opponent who was lying down. He was handed a three-game ban for that and the timing couldn’t have been any worse (Inter, Milan and Lazio).

The starting right-back Danilo Veiga picked up a yellow card against Inter and will thus ser...

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