Milan's 3-4-2-1 meets Lecce's 4-3-3 as Amorim seeks response at San Siro

Milan's 3-4-2-1 places three centre-backs behind a midfield four, with two attacking midfielders supporting a lone striker. The system relies on the wing-backs — likely Alexis Saelemaekers on the right and a left-sided counterpart — to provide width, while the dual number tens, one of whom could be Christian Pulisic, look to exploit the half-spaces. Lecce's 4-3-3 counters with a flat back four, three central midfielders, and a front three that stretches the pitch horizontally. Antonino Gallo at left-back will have to contend with Saelemaekers' inverted runs, while Danilo Veiga in midfield may be tasked with screening passes into Milan's attacking midfielders.

Ruben Amorim suffered his first competitive defeat as Milan boss in midweek European action, and the lineup suggests a desire to control possession through structural overloads in midfield. Adrien Rabiot's presence in the double pivot gives Milan a ball-winning, box-to-box profile that can also drive forward. Lecce, meanwhile, arrive with a compact midfield three designed to limit central access and force attacks wide, where they can be more easily contained.

Saelemaekers versus Gallo will define the right flank: the Milan wing-back's tendency to drift inside creates a numerical advantage in central areas, but leaves space behind for Lecce's right winger to exploit. Pulisic, operating in the left half-space, will test the discipline of Lecce's right-back and the nearest central midfielder. In the middle, Rabiot's duels with Veiga could dictate transition moments — Rabiot's ability to carry past the first line of pressure versus Veiga's positional sense and interception rate.