Lecce vs AC Milan preview - Van Bommel issues Lecce warning

AC Milan midfielder Mark van Bommel has warned his team-mates not to drop their level when they travel to Lecce on Sunday.

The Rossoneri appear to have put a disappointing start in Serie A behind them.

Wednesday's 2-0 triumph over BATE Borisov in the Champions League placed Milan closer to qualification to the knockout stage.

Coming after last weekend's 3-0 league win over Palermo, it was enough to suggest Milan may at last be turning the corner.

But Van Bommel knows it will count for little if they cannot keep their form going at the Via Del Mare.

He told the Milan Channel: "We must go onto the pitch with the same will and the same motivations we displayed against BATE.

"We must get a result in Lecce in order to start a challenging week on the right foot."

Milan host Parma on Wednesday before travelling to the Italian capital to face Roma next weekend.

"These are three very important games in order to catch the Serie A leaders," Van Bommel said.

Milan are 13th, four points behind Juventus and Udinese, who lead the standings.

The Rossoneri will need to show a lot of improvement if they are to win their first game on the road this season.

Allegri's side have conceded five goals in their first two games away from home.

Rivals Lecce have mustered four points from six games and are in the relegation zone.

Eusebio Di Francesco's side showed an improvement from their previous performances in last weekend's goalless draw at Genoa.

Lecce midfielder Rodney Strasser has warned his team-mates they must play the perfect game if they are to surprise the defending champions on Sunday.

"We will have to run twice as much as Milan because only then can we hope to beat them," said Strasser, who joined Lecce this summer on a season-long loan deal from Milan.

Lecce will be without David Di Michele for Sunday's game with the Italian forward sidelined through a muscular injury.