Massimiliano Allegri admitted that he “does not know who will play” before AC Milan's Serie A match with Lecce on Friday.
Milan has passed a frustrating start of their Serie A campaign because they lost the previous time out of Cremonese.
They shot 24 shots of a total that was only improved by Juventus during the opening weekend but San Siro left empty-handed.
Cremonese got the most out of their limited opportunities and scored twice out of only three efforts on Target, one of them a stunning attack by Federico Bonazzoli. Milan's only answer was due to a powerful Strahinja Pavlovic header, making the men of Allegri think about wasted opportunities.
This summer, a flurry of transfer activity and an early Coppa Italia win in Bari. With Milan unbeaten in 14 games against Lecce, including three straight victories, Allegri will be careful that his side can continue in the same spirit.
To drill. Discipline. Determination.
Centro Sportivo Milanello Powered by Clivet pic.twitter.com/H5KZCYMQHN
– AC Milan (@acmilan) 25 August 2025
However, he is still not sure of who will be kicked off in his starting XI.
“We have to approach the game correctly and with great respect,” said Allegri.
“They have a lot of enthusiasm; they played a great game in Genoa. [Lecce coach, Eusebio] Di Francesco lets his teams play well. We have to stand on the same footing with the others and run like them. Then our technical qualities will arise, and that is where we have to improve.
“With the work we will focus more on defense. We are working on it. We hope that we will not admit tomorrow, but the shortage to admit that too many goals cannot be overcome in a few weeks, but I am sure we will overcome it.
“We made a lot against Cremonese and shot a lot. We admitted two crosses where we were well positioned, but mistakes followed.
“We have admitted two goals from the two errors that we made in the ninety minutes. We have to lower our game, if not completely eliminate. I still don't know who will play tomorrow.”
Players to watch
Lecce – Tete Morente
Morente was a livewire during Lecce's Opener road in Genoa last weekend, the winger took the most passes in the last third (20) of each player on the field, and made three shots in a match that was limited in opportunities.
After the Talisman Nikola Krstovic has lost to Atalanta in the summer, Lecce hopes that the productivity of Morente can mitigate the inevitable blow of his departure.
Milan – Luka Modric
Modric sealed a summer movement to Milan from Real Madrid, after having spent 13 years at Los Blancos and won 28 large trophies in the club. The Croatian veteran, who scooped the 2018 Ballon d'Or, created three chances during his Serie A debut and registered the most passes in the last third (32), more than any other player.
Match -Preference: Milan victory
Lecce has only managed one win in 19 Serie A Home matches against Milan (D10 L8), a 1-0 win in April 2006 under Roberto Rizzo thanks to a goal by Axel Konan.
Since that result, the parties have played seven times in Lecce with four draws and three Milan victories, and both teams have found the net in every meeting, which produces an average of 4.1 goals per match.
Milan has won their last three league games with Lecce, and they now have the chance to achieve four consecutive victories at the Salento club for the second time in their top-historical history. The previous run came between November 1989 and August 1993, when the Rossoneri recorded five consecutive victories.
Lecce has also drawn more matches against Milan in the Serie A than against almost any other opponent.
Thirteen of the 38 competition meetings between the clubs have terminated the level, whereby Lecce only registered two victories compared to 23 for Milan.