Stefano Pioli expects a ‘determined Lecce’ against Milan and says Christian Pulisic must ‘run into space more’ than Ruben Loftus-Cheek usually does.
Milan host Lecce at San Siro on Saturday and USMNT captain Pulisic starts as an attacking midfielder for the first time this season. Rafael Leao, Samuel Chukwueze and Olivier Giroud complete the Rossoneri’s attack in today’s home fixture.
Pulisic replaces the suspended Loftus-Cheek today.
“It doesn’t change that much, we played with this system before, but it’s Christian rather than Loftus-Cheek. I expect him to run into space more than Rubens usually does, but the important thing is to be balanced, aggressive and to control the game,” Pioli told DAZN minutes before kick-off.
“Lecce are still fighting to secure safety, are doing well with a new coach, and have not yet conceded, so they will be determined, and we need a high-level performance to break them down.”
Lecce are still unbeaten under new coach Luca Gotti having collected one win and one draw in two matches. They held Roma to a goalless stalemate at the Stadio Via Del Mare in the previous round.
“The coach can be a factor, but when I faced Gotti at Udinese, he played in a completely different way to what we’ve seen at Lecce so far,” argued Pioli.
“I expected them not to use two strikers the way they did against Roma, as that was a home game, so we’ll see what they’ve got lined up for us.”
You can follow live updates from San Siro and today’s Serie A action, including the Rome derby, on the Football Italia LIVEBLOG.
Milan won the last four Serie A matches and have never managed five consecutive wins in the league this term. Next week, they’ll host Roma in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final at San Siro.