one point difference in serie a standingsMid-table pair Udinese and Lazio will face off for their final clash of the year on Saturday evening.
The hosts trail their counterparts in the capital after being demolished by Fiorentina last week, but can overtake Lazio with a win.
match preview
A moment of madness from Maduka Okoye cost Udinese dearly last weekend as they suffered a devastating defeat at the Stadio Franchi.
After the Bianconeri goalkeeper was sent off inside seven minutes, relegation-threatened Fiorentina found their missing spark and fired five saves past substitute stopper Razvan Sava.
Although Oumar Soulet pulled the team back with a brilliant strike in the second half, Udinese were well beaten by Serie A’s last winless team, which came as a shock to the Italian champions so soon after their victory.
Kosta Rungic’s 10th-placed side have recorded five wins, two draws and three defeats at home in both the league and cup, including a 1-0 win over Napoli earlier this month.
Consistently inconsistent, Friulani has switched between keeping clean sheets and leaking goals at an alarming rate, which Runjac will aim to address in 2026.
First, however, his team must try to end the year on a high note by defeating Lazio for the third time in four matches.
© Imago
Not only did Lazio lose in their most recent visit to Udine in August 2024, but they have also taken just one point from the club’s last three fixtures.
The Biancocelesti cannot afford another defeat, amid such a tough battle for European places to finish in the top six of Serie A.
While their last game in Parma brought a win in adverse conditions with nine men, Lazio slipped up last week when they failed to overcome Cremonese at the Stadio Olimpico.
Yet, after the 0-0 home draw, goalkeeper Ivan Provedel has kept a league-high nine clean sheets – his best tally at this level since posting 11 in 2022-23, when Maurizio Sarri was first in charge.
Sarri’s team – who recently knocked AC Milan out of the Coppa Italia, setting up a quarter-final clash with holders Bologna – now sit eighth in the standings, just one point ahead of Udinese.
With the transfer ban set to be lifted in time for the January window, Sarri may be able to strengthen his thin squad sooner than expected, but some familiar faces will be on the move again this weekend.
Udinese Serie A form:
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Udinese form (all competitions):
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Lazio Serie A form:
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Lazio form (all competitions):
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team news
© Imago / IPA Sport
Due to his careless dismissal in Florence, Okoye will have to miss the match through suspension, meaning Sawa will start between the posts for Udinese.
The hosts’ absence list still includes two wing-backs – Jordan Zemura is injured, while Rui Modesto is away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Angola – but Hasne Kamara was back on the bench against Fiorentina.
Ivorian forward Wakoun Bio is also in AFCON action, while Arthur Atta is yet to return from a thigh problem.
While Udinese’s forward duo of Keenan Davies and Nicolo Zaniolo have four league goals, Mattia Zaccagni is Lazio’s leading Serie A scorer with three.
The visiting captain is now back from ban, but Matteo Guendouzi and Toma Besic are both suspended, while Nicolo Rovella is still injured.
With Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Boulaye Dia representing their respective countries at the AFCON, Samuel Gigot struggling with an ankle problem and Gustav Isaksen having only just returned to full training, Sarri has some selection issues to sort out.
Udinese probable starting lineup:
Sawa; Christensen, Kabasele, Soulet; Zanolli, Eckelenkamp, Carlström, Piotrowski, Bertola; Zaniolo, Davis
Lazio probable starting lineup:
Provedale; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Pellegrini; Cataldi, Vecino; Cancellieri, Noslin, Zacagni; Castellanos
We say: Udinese 1-1 Lazio
Despite being hampered by absences and having a fairly weak record on the road, Lazio have shown enough composure to suggest they can challenge Udinese.
In the context of last week’s horror show, the hosts may be happy to compromise on one point.
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