Soccer
Ruben Amorim believes AC Milan have been “dominant” without reward in most of their games this season, with the Rossoneri winless in three outings ahead of hosting Lecce.
Milan have drawn their last two Serie A matches to leave them on eight points through the first four matchdays of 2026-27.
They conceded a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Juventus on matchday three, then needed a second-half brace from substitute Diego Moreira to salvage a point from 2-0 down at Lazio.
With Amorim then fielding a much-changed team against Benfica in Thursday’s Europa League opener and losing 2-0, the former Manchester United boss has faced criticism from some quarters.
However, he believes Milan have deserved more from their recent matches and is convinced they are heading down the correct path.
“When you lose, and you are competitive, you are not the same guy. If you are, then there is something wrong with you,” Amorim told reporters.
“But you cannot change the past, we can change the next game and must focus on that. I always have conversations with the team on what we need to improve.
“In most of the games we’ve been dominant, we’ve not been playing so well in every minute of the game, but the main thing now is to win against Lecce.
“We want to be dominant, but we are still building our organisation, especially with the ball, so Lecce is a good opportunity for us to do that.”
All focus on Sunday pic.twitter.com/UXKDf3KzvV
— AC Milan (@acmilan) September 18, 2026
Before the defeat to Benfica, Amorim suggested some of Milan’s players may not be suited to his preferred style of play, but when asked if that meant he must adapt his system, the Portuguese said there was truth to both statements.
“Both things can be true. The only thing people think about is the system, especially in Italy there are a lot of teams with three centre-backs,” he said.
“My idea of football is not about the formation, it’s about the principles, so both things can be true.
“What I said is that when a new manager arrives, it’s impossible to have the specific characteristics in every situation, that’s what I said. Everything can be true at the same time.
“My opinion is we need to defend better, especially when we have the ball. I am really clear on my football ideas.”
Lecce are only two points behind Milan, having beaten Monza 3-2 last time out following a pair of defeats against Roma and Cagliari.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
AC Milan – Diego Moreira
Moreira has been involved in five goals (three goals, two assists) in his last three appearances across Ligue 1 and Serie A.
He had never scored from the bench in his previous 68 games in Europe’s big five leagues before his brace as a substitute against Lazio, and he could now score in back-to-back matches in these competitions for the first time in his career.
Lecce – Lassana Coulibaly
In Coulibaly (two goals, one assist) and Ivan Ilic (two assists), Lecce have two midfielders with more than one goal involvement in Serie A this season; only Inter have more (four).
In particular, Coulibaly (fresh from a brace last time out) would equal his best goalscoring season in the competition (three, in 2022-23 and 2025-26) with a goal here.
MATCH PREDICTION: AC MILAN WIN
AC Milan have won their last five Serie A matches against Lecce by an aggregate score of 12-2 while keeping four clean sheets in the process.
They could now beat them in six consecutive games for the first time in the competition, and the Opta predictive model fancies their chances of doing exactly that.
The Rossoneri’s 16-match unbeaten run against Lecce (W11 D5) is their longest ongoing sequence against any team in Serie A, last losing to them on April 1, 2006, a 1-0 loss at Via del Mare with a goal from Axel Konan.
Lecce have won four of their last six Serie A matches (L2), though, scoring nine goals in this span (1.5 per game), which is the same number they scored in their previous 12.
If the visitors are to have any chance of causing an upset, they must avoid a slow start.
Lecce have conceded five of their seven goals in Serie A this season within the first 30 minutes, which is the most in the competition. Overall, only Monza (seven) have conceded more first-half goals than Lecce (five, level with Genoa) this campaign.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
AC Milan – 70.7%
Lecce – 11.4%
Draw – 17.9%
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