Football Italia
·27 settembre 2024
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·27 settembre 2024
Milan start Alvaro Morata in support of Tammy Abraham, Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao as they host Lecce, despite the Spain international’s fitness concerns.
It kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).
The Rossoneri kick-started their campaign with a 2-1 victory in the Derby della Madonnina against bitter rivals Inter, which was their second straight Serie A win, albeit around a 3-1 Champions League defeat to Liverpool.
Coach Paulo Fonseca seems to have found the right tactical balance with Morata in the deeper role supporting Abraham, but the Spain international is not fully fit and will not be risked.
Instead, Loftus-Cheek comes in as a trequartista, flanked by Rafael Leao and Pulisic.
Davide Calabria, Noah Okafor, Ismael Bennacer, Alessandro Florenzi and Marco Sportiello are also injured.
Curiously, although it is the same starting XI that beat Inter, this time Rafael Leao is given the captain’s armband rather than Theo Hernandez.
Lecce are unbeaten in three rounds, including a 0-0 draw away to current surprise Serie A leaders Torino.
However, they were leading 2-0 against Parma last week at the 91st minute before an extraordinary capitulation to draw 2-2.
Frederic Guilbert was sent off in that game and is therefore suspended, with Nicola Sansone, Kevin Bonifazi, Medon Berisha, Joan Gonzalez and Mohamed Kaba out of action.
Nikola Krstovic is carrying a knock and missed several sitters against Parma, but still starts.
It is a return to San Siro for Ante Rebic, the former Milan player who joined Lecce as a free agent this summer.
The Rossoneri are unbeaten against Lecce since a 1-0 away result in April 2006 and the only home defeat was 2-1 in October 1997.
Milan: Maignan; Emerson Royal, Gabbia, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Pulisic, Fofana, Reijnders, Leao; Morata, Abraham
Lecce: Falcone; Dorgu, Gaspar, Baschirotto, Gallo; Ramadani, Coulibaly, Pierret; Morente, Rebic; Krstovic