AC Milan vs Lecce: Serie A Preview, Kick-Off Time and Team News
AC Milan return to Serie A action against Lecce at San Siro on Sunday, September 20, seeking an immediate response after a troubling Europa League defeat and a three-match wait for a league victory. The fifth-round fixture is scheduled for 20:45 local time, with a listed 2:45 PM start in other broadcast schedules.
Ruben Amorim’s side are sixth after four Serie A matches, while Lecce sit 12th, but the pressure is firmly on the home team following Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to Benfica. It was Milan’s first defeat under Amorim and prompted whistles from the San Siro stands at half-time and again after the final whistle.
Dodi Lukebakio and Kaminski scored for Benfica in a match in which Milan did not seriously trouble goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin. Amorim made extensive changes, including first starts for Omari Hutchinson and Terracciano, but the rotation failed to produce the required performance.
Christian Pulisic is expected to be restored to the starting side after appearing as a substitute in that European tie. Milan will hope the United States international can offer greater invention in central areas, where they have lacked attacking sharpness during the opening weeks of the campaign. Gonçalo Ramos, meanwhile, has yet to score in three appearances since arriving from Paris Saint-Germain. Amorim must decide whether to persist with the forward or protect him from the growing scrutiny around his early form.
Team news and recent form
Warren Bondo is unavailable to Milan because of injury, with no home suspensions reported. The expected Milan selection has Mike Maignan in goal behind Strahinja Pavlovic, Koni De Winter and Mario Gila. Samuel Chukwueze, Alphadjo Cisse, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Luka Modric and Pervis Estupinan are in the projected midfield unit, while Adrien Rabiot and Ramos lead the side.
Milan have taken two wins, two draws and one defeat from their past five matches in all competitions. Their Serie A results include a 2-1 opening-weekend victory at Torino, a 2-0 home success over Venezia, a 1-1 draw with Juventus and a 2-2 draw against Lazio. They have scored six times and conceded five across that sequence.
Lecce travel north after a 3-2 league win over Monza, a result that should give Eusebio Di Francesco’s players confidence despite an uneven beginning to the season. They have also been beaten 1-0 by Cagliari and 4-0 by Roma in Serie A, while one of their two defeats in the last five came in the Coppa Italia. Lecce have scored seven goals in those five fixtures but allowed nine.
Di Francesco will be without injured pair Omri Gandelman and Medon Berisha, and Lecce have no listed suspensions. Wladimiro Falcone is expected to start in goal, with Jamil Siebert, Danilo Veiga, Tiago Gabriel and Antonino Gallo forming the defence. Youssef Maleh, Lassana Coulibaly and Ivan Ilic are projected in midfield, behind forwards Joel Monteiro, Konan N’Dri and Nikola Stulic.
Milan’s recent record against Lecce offers grounds for optimism. The Rossoneri won 1-0 at San Siro when the clubs last met in January 2026 and have won four of the previous five meetings, with Lecce unbeaten only once in that stretch. Milan have scored 12 goals and conceded four across those games, while their last three home victories in the fixture have produced an aggregate score of 7-0.
Telemundo, Paramount+, Peacock, CBS Sports Golazo Network, Fubo, DirecTV Stream and Amazon Prime Video are among the listed broadcast and streaming options for the match.
