Aiming to tighten their grip on second place in Serie A, AC Milan welcome lowly Lecce to San Siro on Saturday afternoon.
It is the first time so many men have scored 10 times or more for Milan since 2009, and there can be few doubts that they possess sufficient firepower to secure second spot ahead of Juventus, though the Scudetto seems bound for city rivals Inter Milan, who are some 14 points clear.
Pioli’s men – who will host Roma in next week’s Europa League quarter-finals – have proved particularly tough to beat at San Siro this season, with a record of 10 wins and just two losses from 14 Serie A contests, and they are on a nine-match streak without a home defeat ahead of Saturday’s assignment.
Though they were held to a draw in November’s reverse fixture, Milan have won nine of their last 10 league games against Lecce in Italy’s second city – scoring 29 goals and conceding just six – so precedent is certainly on their side this weekend.
Milan have lost just one of their last 24 matches against Lecce in Serie A – and not at all for nearly two decades – while the Salentini are one of the weakest away sides in Italy’s top flight. Even with an eye on their big continental contest next week, the hosts should be able to take care of business without too much fuss.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
