Udinese welcome Lazio to the Bluenergy Arena in a Serie A encounter on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts finally got their first long-awaited home win of the season last time out and now welcome another Champions League-chasing outfit to north-east Italy.
Match preview
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After a remarkable start which saw Udinese draw 11 of their opening 17 games, a rare win arrived when they welcomed Bologna to the Bluenergy Arena last Sunday.
Gabriele Cioffi's side have saved their two wins this season for big occasions, as Bologna came into the game in great form, while their only other success came at San Siro against AC Milan.
It was much needed following a run of six straight draws in regulation time here and also moved them three points clear of the drop zone.
Udinese have made a habit of picking up points against the sides around them, which will be hugely important if they are still embroiled in a relegation battle towards the end of the season.
All five of the Bianconeri's defeats this season have come against sides who finished in the top eight last season, but that suggests they could be in trouble against a Lazio side who will now have their sights set on a top-four push.
Lazio have been a tough side to beat when visiting Udine in the past decade too, as the host's last win over their upcoming opponents came all the way back in 2013, when club legend Antonio Di Natale scored the only goal.
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After a difficult start, Maurizio Sarri looks set to continue that recent record in this fixture, as his Lazio side have picked up and been one of the in-form sides in Serie A over the last three months.
The Biancocelesti have taken 20 points from a possible 33, moving them to within just two points of Atalanta BC in sixth, despite spending large periods of the season in the bottom half.
A strong finish to 2023 was key, as Lazio recorded back-to-back wins over Empoli and Frosinone, but their away form remains a concern, as they have lost five games away from the Stadio Olimpico in Serie A already this season.
Rectifying that will be important ahead of a huge month for Lazio in both the league and in the cups.
With a Derby della Capitale Coppa Italia clash against Roma upcoming on Wednesday, followed by their Supercoppa semi-final with Inter Milan the following week, Lazio must ensure to keep their focus when in league action, as they have two very winnable games ahead.
With Udinese first up, and Lecce to follow, two more wins would put Sarri's side in great stead before facing Napoli and Atalanta once they return from the Supercoppa in Saudi Arabia.
Team News
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With injury issues seemingly not going away for Udinese, manager Cioffi may be glad that defenders Adam Masina and Hassane Kamara were not called up to the Africa Cup of Nations this week.
Jordan Zemura will be departing for Zimbabwe duty, though, meaning the hosts will be without both him and the injured Enzo Ebosse at the back for the foreseeable future.
Gerard Deulofeu remains the big absentee, while summer signings Brenner and Keinan Davis also continue to recover from long-term injuries.
Lazio will be without two crucial players of their own through injury here, as Ciro Immobile (hamstring) and Luis Alberto (groin) will both miss this encounter.
Taty Castellanos is set to continue in attack, and will have been delighted to end a 13-game scoring drought by netting in the win over Frosinone.
The visitors could be boosted by the return of Alessio Romagnoli, who is closing in on a return, while right-back Manuel Lazzari will be available after suspension.
Daichi Kamada will also be at Sarri's disposal, after the midfielder was a surprise omission from Japan's Asian Cup squad.
Udinese possible starting lineup:
Okoye; Joao Ferreira, Perez, Kristensen; Ebosele, Payero, Walace, Lovric, Kamara; Pereyra, Lucca
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Provedel; Lazzari, Patric, Romagnoli, Marusic; Guendouzi, Rovella, Kamada; Isaksen, Castellanos, Zaccagni
We say: Udinese 1-1 Lazio
Udinese's stubbornness at home could fare well for them in this tricky looking encounter against an in-form Lazio side.
However, the visitors are unbeaten here in over a decade and will bring great confidence into it after two wins to finish 2023, so coming away with a result is likely.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Andrew Delaney
