In the run up to the match against Lecce, AC Milan boss, Massimiliano Allegri, said in a press conference: "It would be better to have a defender and a midfielder to improve our team, but they may not arrive. Criscito? I can't say anything. Let's recover Nesta, who is for me the best Italian defender of all times. When him and Thiago Silva are not playing, it's normal that we suffer more. But we won even without them, that's the mentality that I like".

ON CASSANO: “I couldn’t follow his press conference yesterday, because it took place right after our training session. What’s important for me is that Cassano trains hard. Tomorrow he’ll start on the bench and then I’ll whether to send him on or not, depending on how the game goes. He’s getting better physically, he trains twice a day, so I think he can reach full fitness in three of four weeks."

ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP: “The game tomorrow will be an important one, even if the championship is still long. We need to keep balanced even in difficult times, being aware of our strength and the fact that we’re first in the standings.”

It was important to restart well after the Christmas break. We are now facing 6 games that can be very important for the rest of our season. Inter? I am not scared of them, they are competing for the Scudetto, Champions League and Coppa Italian. Also Roma, Napoli, Lazio and Juventus are doing the same. We must to keep our balance, because that will be the winning move."