Official: AC Milan vs. Lecce starting XIs – six changes from Udinese win

AC Milan will play their sixth competitive game of 2025-26 tonight, and it will already be their second of the campaign against Lecce.

Milan got the better of Lecce in the league, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic scoring in a 2-0 victory late last month. This time though there is a place in the last 16 of the Coppa Italia at stake.

Tonight is a knockout match with Lazio awaiting in a potential last-16 tie, but the magnitude of the game on Sunday against Napoli cannot be ignored.

AC Milan vs. Lecce: Official starting XIs

Rafael Leao once again misses out with a calf issue that has kept him sidelined for over five weeks now. Ardon Jashari is recovering from a leg fracture and Mike Maignan will not be risked as he too sustained a calf issue that thankfully is not as serious.

As a result, Pietro Terriacciano is between the posts and there is one change to the back three in front of him: Koni De Winter comes into the three-man defence in Matteo Gabbia’s place. He will be flanked by Fikayo Tomori and Strahinja Pavlovic.

Alexis Saelemaekers is the right wing-back again, but Davide Bartesaghi comes in to give Pervis Estupinan a rest on the other flank. In midfield, Luka Modric is replaced by Samuele Ricci, with Adrien Rabiot and Youssouf Fofana completing the trio.

Up front, there will be a first start for the summer signing Christopher Nkunku and he will partner Santiago Gimenez. Both want a goal: the former to introduce himself to the San Siro crowd properly, and the latter to try put a difficult start to the campaign behind him.

Official Milan XI (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Ricci, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Gimenez, Nkunku.

Bench: Terracciano, Torriani; Gabbia, Odogu , Estupinan, Athekame; Modric, Fofana; Pulisic, Balentien.

Official Lecce XI (4-3-3): 

Bench: