Udinese will be aiming to back up their impressive win away to Juventus last time out when they host Cagliari in Serie A on Sunday.
The visitors, on the other hand, have lost four league games in a row, falling to second bottom in the table as a result.
Match preview
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Having only managed to win one of their previous 12 league games ahead of their trip to face Juventus on Monday evening, few people would have given Udinese much of a chance of beating the Turin-based giants. However, Gabriele Cioffi's side ran out 1-0 winners in the end, severely damaging their opponents' title hopes in the process.
Lautaro Giannetti's 25th minute strike proved to be the difference between the two sides, with Gianetti converting the visitors' only shot on target across the course of the encounter. Juventus, on the other hand, forced Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye into six saves, but could not find an equaliser.
Udinese had fallen into the relegation zone prior to their surprise victory, so it was a much needed win for Cioffi's side. They jumped to 15th in the table in the process, but with only a three-point cushion separating them and the relegation zone, they will not be counting any chickens just yet.
Indeed, the White and Blacks have remained in Serie A ever since gaining promotion in 1995, despite finishing in the bottom half in each of the last 10 seasons. As such, remaining in the division will be their primary aim once again, and they can take a giant step towards achieving that by dispatching relegation rivals Cagliari on Sunday.
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Cagliari, of course, only returned to Serie A via Serie B's playoffs last season, with Claudio Ranieri completing a remarkable turnaround after being appointed as the club's manager last January. The 72-year-old guided Cagliari to successive promotions from Serie C to Serie A during his first stint at the club between 1988 and 1991, before repeating half of that feat in dramatic circumstances against Bari.
Surviving was always likely to be a difficult task for Cagliari this season, but far from an impossible one. After all, the Islanders spent all except one season in Italy's top flight between 2004-05 and 2021-22, suggesting this is the club's true level.
However, four successive defeats have made Ranieri's side's mission become much more difficult. Frosinone, Torino, Roma and Lazio have all proved too strong for Cagliari, who have now collected just five points from their last 10 matches.
As such, their forthcoming match against Udinese is undeniably a massive match for them, in what could prove to be a pivotal few weeks with fixtures against other relegation rivals Empoli and Salernitana on the horizon. Ranieri will be hoping for more heroics from his players between now and the end of the campaign if they are to pull off an impressive escape.
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Udinese will remain without Enzo Ebosse and Gerard Deulofeu due to ACL injuries, with both players facing a race against time to return to first-team action before the end of the season. Vivaldo's thigh issue is expected to keep him sidelined until the end of the month, whle Jaka Bijol was not risked against Juventus due to a sprained ankle and may miss out once again.
In fact, it would be somewhat surprising if Cioffi made any alterations to his starting XI after producing such an impressive result against Juventus. As such, the likes of Isaac Success may be reduced to making an impact from the substitutes' bench once again.
Cagliari, meanwhile, are expected to travel without Marko Rog, Eldor Shomurodov, Marco Mancosu, Ibrahim Sulemana, Pantelis Hatzidiakos and Gaetano Oristanio due to injury. Back-up goalkeeper Simone Aresti is suspended after being sent off Lazio last weekend.
Ranieri may feel the need to shake things up after being defeated 3-1 in that match, meaning the likes of Alberto Dossena, Leonardo Pavoletti and Zito Luvumbo will be hoping to be called upon after appearing from the bench in that match.
Udinese possible starting lineup:
Okoye; Perez, Giannetti, Kristensen; Ehizibue, Lovric, Walace, Samardzic, Zemura; Thauvin; Lucca
Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Scuffet; Zappa, Mina, Dossena; Nandez, Makoumbou, Prati, Azzi; Viola, Gaetano; Petagna
We say: Udinese 1-1 Cagliari
Although Udinese will be riding high after their win against Juventus, Cioffi's side tend to find it much tougher when expected to break their opponents down. Cagliari, as would be expected under the management of Ranieri, will likely arrive with a defensive gameplan.
As a result, we can envisage a game which will mostly be low on quality, with both teams desperate to avoid relegation this season. We predict a draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Brett Curtis
