AC Milan vs Lecce: Prediction, Lineups, Kickoff Time | Serie A 2025/26

AC Milan vs Lecce — Match Preview

The Scudetto chase continues at the San Siro on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, as AC Milan host struggling Lecce. The Rossoneri are in relentless form, sitting 2nd with 43 points and fresh off a commanding 3–1 victory over Como on Friday night. Paulo Fonseca’s (or current manager) men have won four of their last five, scoring heavily even without injured striker Santi Gimenez.

Lecce, conversely, are in a freefall. Sitting 17th with 17 points, they are hovering just above the relegation zone on goal difference (-15). The Salentini fought hard but lost 0–1 to Inter Milan on Thursday, extending their winless run to five matches. Facing the second Milan giant in the space of five days—without their suspended defensive leader Kialonda Gaspar—looks like a mountain too high to climb.

AC Milan vs Lecce — Match Info

• Competition: Serie A (Matchday 21)
• Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (San Siro), Milan (Capacity: 80,018)
• Date: Tuesday, 20 January 2026
• Kickoff: 20:45 CET | 19:45 GMT | 14:45 ET
• Referee: TBC (AIA Appointment)

AC Milan vs Lecce — Match Stakes

AC Milan (2nd — 43 pts):

• Win → Moves to 46 pts; keeps the pressure on the league leaders (likely Inter or Napoli).
• Draw → Two points dropped in a “banker” home game; a blow to title aspirations.
• Loss → Ends the unbeaten streak; allows chasers like Juventus to close the gap.

Lecce (17th — 17 pts):

• Win → Moves to 20 pts; a massive shock that creates breathing room from the drop zone.
• Draw → A “gold dust” point at San Siro; huge for morale after consecutive defeats.
• Loss → Likely drops them into the bottom three if Verona or Pisa pick up points; goal difference takes another hit.

AC Milan vs Lecce — Team News

AC Milan:

• Gimenez S. — Out (Ankle Injury – Top Scorer Missing)
• Pavlovic S. — Out (Head Injury – Defensive Rock Missing)
• Camarda F. — Out (Injury – Youngster unavailable)
• Rotation: With a short turnaround from the Como game (Friday), expect rotation. Malick Thiaw or Fikayo Tomori will replace Pavlovic. Luka Jovic or Noah Okafor will lead the line.

Lecce:

• Gaspar K. — Out (Red Card – Huge Loss in Defense)
• Veiga D. — Out (Suspended – Yellow Cards)
• Berisha M. — Out (Injury)
• Pierret B. — Questionable (Muscle Injury)
• Defensive Crisis: Missing Gaspar (Red Card vs Inter) is devastating. Lecce will likely field a makeshift center-back pairing, possibly relying on Baschirotto to hold the fort alone.

AC Milan vs Lecce — Team Form (Last 5 Matches)

AC Milan

• 16/01 — 3–1 vs Como (Serie A)
• 11/01 — 1–1 vs Fiorentina (Serie A)
• 09/01 — 1–1 vs Genoa (Serie A)
• 03/01 — 1–0 vs Cagliari (Serie A)
• 28/12 — 3–0 vs Verona (Serie A)

Lecce

• 15/01 — 0–1 vs Inter (Serie A)
• 11/01 — 1–2 vs Parma (Serie A)
• 06/01 — 0–2 vs AS Roma (Serie A)
• 03/01 — 1–1 vs Juventus (Serie A)
• 27/12 — 0–3 vs Como (Serie A)

AC Milan vs Lecce — Head-to-Head (Last 5 Meetings)

• 24/09/2025 — AC Milan 3–0 Lecce (Coppa Italia)
• 30/08/2025 — Lecce 0–2 AC Milan (Serie A)
• 08/03/2025 — Lecce 2–3 AC Milan (Serie A)
• 28/09/2024 — AC Milan 3–0 Lecce (Serie A)
• 06/04/2024 — AC Milan 3–0 Lecce (Serie A)

AC Milan vs Lecce — Playing XI (Predicted Lineups)

AC Milan (4-2-3-1)

Maignan; Emerson Royal, Tomori, Thiaw, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Okafor

Lecce (4-3-3)

Falcone; Guilbert, Baschirotto, Jean, Gallo; Ramadani, Coulibaly, Rafia; Dorgu, Krstovic, Banda

AC Milan vs Lecce — Impact Bench

AC Milan: Chukwueze (Pace), Musah (Energy), Abraham (Physicality)

Lecce: Oudin (Set-pieces), Burnete (Goal threat)

AC Milan vs Lecce — Tactical Analysis

AC Milan

Milan will look to exploit Lecce’s missing defensive leader, Kialonda Gaspar. Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic will target the half-spaces, knowing Lecce’s confidence is shot. With Pavlovic out, Milan might be slightly vulnerable at set-pieces, but their attack is overpowering Lecce (averaging 3 goals per game vs Lecce in H2H).

Lecce

Lecce’s game plan will be survival. Without Gaspar and Veiga, they lack physical presence at the back. They will sit in a low block (5-4-1) and try to frustrate Milan, hoping Wladimiro Falcone makes 5-6 big saves. Their only hope is a counter-attack through Lameck Banda or a set-piece from Krstovic.

AC Milan vs Lecce — Key Battles

• Leao vs Guilbert — Milan’s MVP vs Lecce’s right-back.
• Okafor vs Baschirotto — Movement vs Strength.
• Reijnders vs Ramadani — Midfield control.
• Maignan vs Krstovic — Can Lecce’s striker snatch a goal from limited chances?

AC Milan vs Lecce — Spotlight Players

AC Milan — Rafael Leao

The Portuguese star loves playing at San Siro. Against a depleted Lecce defense, he will have the freedom to drive into the box. A goal and an assist are highly likely.

Lecce — Wladimiro Falcone

The goalkeeper is Lecce’s most important player here. He needs to produce a “Performance of the Season” to prevent a blowout.

AC Milan vs Lecce — Prediction

AC Milan 3–0 Lecce

The disparity in form and quality is massive. Milan are scoring freely (3 vs Como, 3 vs Verona), while Lecce have lost 4 of their last 5 and are missing their best defender (Gaspar). History suggests a comfortable Milan win (won last 5 H2H comfortably), and nothing suggests otherwise here.

AC Milan vs Lecce — Betting Insights

• AC Milan to Win (-1.5 Handicap) — High Probability.
• AC Milan Clean Sheet — Likely (Lecce have scored 1 goal in last 3 games).
• Over 2.5 Goals — Very Likely.

AC Milan vs Lecce — Where to Watch

• Italy: DAZN
• USA: Paramount+
• UK: TNT Sports

AC Milan vs Lecce — FAQs

Q: When is the AC Milan vs Lecce match?

A: The match kicks off on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, at 20:45 CET.

Q: Is Santi Gimenez playing?

A: No. He is out with an ankle injury.

Q: Why is Gaspar not playing for Lecce?

A: He received a Red Card in the previous match against Inter.

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