The five key battles that could win or lose the game for Milan against Lecce

AC Milan will take on Lecce away from home this evening, and as always, there are some key battles that the Rossoneri fans should keep an extra eye on. 

Massimiliano Allegri is expected to continue with the 3-5-2 formation for this one, and due to quite a few heavy absences, Yunus Musah will be the right wing-back. Eusebio Di Francesco and Lecce, meanwhile, will play with a 4-3-3.

We have picked out five player battles below that we think could have a big impact on the outcome of the game. Do you agree with us? Let us know in the comments!

The key battles

Since Milan’s defence was a bit of an issue last time out, let’s start there. Francesco Camarda could potentially start up front for Lecce, even if this morning’s Gazzetta dello Sport has the new signing Nikola Stulic starting. Either way, the striker will be up against Matteo Gabbia.

Of course, the striker will challenge all centre-backs but Gabbia will be tasked with commanding the core of the box. He wasn’t super successful against Cremonese, so will need to see an improvement on this front tonight.

On the left-hand side, Pervis Estupinan will have to be a bit careful as Lecce’s right-winger, Santiago Pierotti, likely will be keen to exploit the stadium behind the Ecuadorian. This could leave him 1v1 with Strahinja Pavlovic and while the Serbian is usually strong, there are no guarantees with him.

Further up the pitch, it’s clear that Luka Modric will have a key role for Milan. Most of the build-up went through him against Cremonese – for better or for worse – and that is set to continue, given his abilities on the ball.

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Lassana Coulibaly will be one of several to try to stop the Croatian once he gets going. The 29-year-old has played both games from start for Lecce so far (in Coppa Italia and Serie A), so he might have a physical advantage over Modriv. Whether that’s enough, however, is a different question.

On Milan’s right-hand side, Yunus Musah looks set to play from the first minute and while we know that his stamina is very good, he’s not always the best defender. Nor is he the most technical player on the team, which makes things difficult in attack.

Having said that, Antonino Gallo will be looking to make the most of his possession on the flank, often getting forward with in-possession and overlap runs. The key for Musah will be composure, as he can sometimes be too rash in the 1v1s.

Finally, we would be remiss not to mention Santiago Gimenez in some capacity. He needs to prove himself after the Cremonese display, and the Ardon Jashari injury, so his battle with above all Kialonda Gaspar will be interesting to follow.

They are two strong players who don’t mind a proper battle, so whoever wins that physical battle will have a head start. Again, Gimenez desperately needs to prove himself to the fans and Allegri, so hopefully he does just that.