Gattuso's memory looms on the horizon: Milan draw on their history to escape the curse of draws
Will the dominance continue?
Milan will look to beat Lecce for the sixth match in a row in Serie A when the two sides meet tomorrow, Sunday, in the fifth round of the competition.
According to statistics network "Opta", Milan have won their last five meetings with Lecce in the competition, scoring 12 goals to two while keeping a clean sheet in four of them. That puts them on course for a feat never before achieved in the history of their meetings in the competition.
No side gives Milan a longer unbeaten run in Serie A than Lecce. The streak stretches to 16 matches, with 11 wins and five draws. The Rossoneri's last defeat to them dates back to 1 April 2006, a 0-1 loss at the Via del Mare stadium, with a goal scored by Axel Konan.
Not since the start of this century have Milan lost at home to Lecce in Serie A, recording 12 wins and two draws. The Rossoneri have outscored their opponent by 30 goals over that run, 38 to eight.
The Rossoneri have won their last four home matches against Lecce with an aggregate scoreline of 9-0. Yet they drew their last two Serie A matches against Juventus and Lazio, and they have not drawn three consecutive matches in the competition since September 2018 under Gennaro Gattuso.
Milan had won their last home match against Venezia. They have managed two consecutive home wins in Serie A only once during this calendar year, in March against Inter and Torino.
Lecce have won four of their last six Serie A matches against two defeats, scoring nine goals in total at a rate of 1.5 per match. That matches the number they managed across their previous 12 league matches combined.
All seven goals Milan have scored in Serie A this season came in the final 30 minutes of play. No side has scored more goals in that period. Yet the Rossoneri have found the net just once in the first half across their last nine Serie A matches.
Lecce have conceded five of the seven goals they have let in in Serie A this season during the first 30 minutes of play, the highest number in the competition. Only Monza have conceded more first-half goals than Lecce this season, with seven, while Lecce's five leave them level with Genoa.
Diego Moreira has had a hand in five goals, with three goals and two assists, in his last three appearances across Ligue 1 and Serie A.
Born in 2004, the player had never scored from the substitutes' bench in his previous 68 matches in Europe's top five leagues before his brace off the bench against Lazio. Now he could score in two consecutive matches in these competitions for the first time in his career.
Christian Pulisic loves facing Lecce. They are his favourite opponent in Serie A, with five goals against them in five matches, including a brace on 8 March 2025.
The American has not started a league match since 26 April. After his assist in the last round, he could contribute to at least one goal in two consecutive matches for the first time in Serie A during this calendar year, having last done so in December.
Two Lecce midfielders have had a hand in more than one goal in Serie A this season. Lassana Coulibaly has scored twice and provided one assist, while Ivan Ilic has provided two assists. Only Inter can better that, with four players.
The Malian, buoyed by a brace in the last match, will equal his best goalscoring season in the competition should he score again. Three goals would match his tallies from the 2022-23 and 2025-26 seasons.
