AC MILAN v LECCE: OPPONENT REVIEW

Second in the league, six points ahead of Juventus, and increasingly consolidated in the upper regions of the table, AC Milan are aiming to continue their excellent form against a Lecce side that has been reinvigorated by a change of coach. On Saturday 6 April at 15:00 CEST, the side from Salento will be looking for precious points in the survival race - even on a tricky away trip to San Siro – following a strong performance against Roma. However, the goalless draw left the side with more than a few regrets. Regardless, they have seen an upturn in form and are looking to extend their run to at least three games without defeat, not achieved since last December when Roberto D'Aversa was in charge.

Worth mentioning is certainly the newfound defensive stability, following two clean sheets in as many games since Luca Gotti arrived, which provides the team from Salento the chance to keep a third clean sheet in a row in the league for the first time since the period between February and March 2004. Comforting data, which must not, however, detract from the Salentini's torrid time on the road, with just one win in 15 away matches this campaign, which happened in their last away fixture at Salernitana. The Apulians have not had back-to-back away joys in Serie A since last February.

LECCE NEVER GIVE UP, ESPECIALLY LATE ON IN THE GAME
With Luca Gotti being recently appointed, Lecce's tactical setup opens up more than a few unknowns, but they have seen some encouraging signs in recent matches. The 27 shots attempted against Roma on Easter Monday - a seasonal record in a single Serie A match for the side from Salento - represents a considerable figure and is a symptom of the team's desire to develop the attacking phase and finishing, following the new coaching staff’s directions to the letter. Overall, the Salentini have struggled though in this Serie A campaign, especially in converting the many opportunities created, as demonstrated primarily by just 16 goals scored from open play, the lowest, along with Empoli, in the league, as well as a scoring percentage of only 6.3% (the worst, level with Empoli), despite being fifth best in terms of the number of shots made: 411, just six less than AC Milan (417), fourth in this specific ranking.

Instead, the team's great strength is their ability to never give up and increase their intensity in the biggest moments of the match, primarily in the closing stages. In fact, Lecce have won the most number of points after scoring from the 70th minute onwards in the 2023/24 Serie A season: 14. The Diavolo themselves know this quality all too well after the Salentini fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2, with the equalising goal coming precisely in the 70th minute, courtesy of Lameck Banda, in the reverse fixture.

EYES ON KRSTOVIC AND BANDA
On paper, Nikola Krstović is Lecce's danger man, but he is certainly not having an easy time of it, especially in front of goal. In fact, after grabbing four in his first seven appearances, the Montenegrin has only scored once in his following 21 games played in the competition. Furthermore, among the top scorers of each team in the 2023/24 Serie A season, only Zito Luvumbo, Leonardo Pavoletti and Szymon Żurkowski (four each) have scored fewer goals than him (five, the same as Antonio Candreva).

Another vital player for the Salento team, who is looking to get his best form back, is Lameck Banda, more recently used coming off the bench yet still top in the Giallorossi rankings for assists (four) and shots on target (23), as well as second overall in Serie A for the number of shots attempted following a dribble: ten, one less than Rafael Leão (eleven). Lecce's real linchpin in their formation is represented by Ylber Ramadani, whose contribution and energy are crucial in both sides of the game, having that knack for breaking up play. In fact, among midfielders, only Milan Badelj (45) has made more interceptions than the Albanian (42) in the current campaign.

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