Bluenergy Stadium is the venue as Udinese and Juventus go head-to-head in Saturday’s high-stakes Serie A encounter. Both teams stuttered in the first midweek round of the 2024/25 campaign and will look to get back on track this weekend.
Udinese unfathomably squandered a two-goal cushion in a self-destructive 3-2 away loss to newly promoted Venezia on Wednesday. Kosta Runjaic’s side gave away two penalties and lost Isaak Toure to a straight red card on a disastrous night at Stadio Pierluigi Penzo.
As a result of their second consecutive away league defeat, the Friulians enter this round on the periphery of European qualification spots. Indeed, they trail upcoming rivals Juventus by two points. Keen to bounce back, Udinese will be out to punch above their weight and add more pressure on Thiago Motta.
Despite extending an unbeaten league run at the beginning of his tenure at the Allianz Stadium with a frustrating 2-2 home draw against Parma on Wednesday, that wasn’t the outcome Juventus had in mind before the kick-off. USMNT duo Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah spared Juve’s blushes as they had to fight back twice to avoid defeat against the newcomers.
Motta’s propensity for sharing the spoils has seen six of Juventus’ ten Serie A matches this season end all square (W4). Therefore, they languish seven points adrift of table-topping Napoli at the start of this matchday, rendering this trip a must-win affair.
Match Preview
Udinese
A lack of consistency has been Udinese’s Achilles heel this season. Runjaic’s men have alternated between winning and losing in their last eight outings across all competitions (W4, L4). Considering they slipped to a loss at Venezia a few days ago, they’ll want this trend to continue on Saturday.
Reasons for optimism are aplenty. Runjaic has turned the Bluenergy Stadium into a stronghold this season, with Udinese racking up six wins from seven competitive home matches (L1). Since the only blemish on this near-flawless run came against defending champions Inter, Udinese can take confidence from their otherwise stellar home form.
They’ve become synonymous with quick-fire starts, opening the scoring in each of those six victories. That’s not to mention they’ve got on the scoresheet before halftime in six of those seven home games, including a 2-0 win against Cagliari last time out, highlighting the potential for an enthralling first half.
Juventus
After capitulating just once in the opening eight Serie A rounds, Juventus have conceded six goals across their last two league fixtures, including a memorable 4-4 draw against Inter on their most recent league travel. It was only the second encounter in the Derby d’Italia’s storied history to produce 8+ goals.
However, it was barely any comfort for Motta, whose men have gone winless in four of their last five outings in all competitions (D3, L1). Yet to lose on the road this season, Juventus’ away league games have fluctuated between draws and wins (W2, D2), a trend they’ll be keen to uphold on Saturday.
Since they’ve won their last two top-flight meetings with Udinese on this ground without conceding, Juventus hope their solid past performances can help stabilize a defense that’s recently shown vulnerabilities. With Napoli relentlessly pursuing their second Scudetto in three years, a potential slip-up here would be a fatal blow for the visitors’ title bid.
Team News
In addition to suspended Toure, Udinese cannot call upon the services of Florian Thauvin, Alexis Sanchez, Thomas Kristensen, and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp. However, there’s a chance the latter could make the matchday squad after missing out on a midweek trip to Venezia.
As for Juventus, Arkadiusz Milik, Paul Pogba, Nicolas Gonzalez, and Gleison Bremer remain unavailable for selection. But there’s good news for Motta. While Douglas Luiz is still recovering from a muscle strain, Teun Koopmeiners is back after a month-long spell on the sidelines with a broken rib.
Udinese vs Juventus Potential Starting Line-ups
Udinese (3-5-2): Maduka Okoye; Christian Kabasele, Jaka Bijol, Lautaro Giannetti; Kingsley Ehizibue, Sandi Lovric, Jesper Karlstrom, Oier Zarraga, Jordan Zemura; Iker Bravo; Lorenzo Lucca.
Juventus (4-2-3-1): Michele Di Gregorio; Andrea Cambiaso, Pierre Kalulu, Federico Gatti, Juan Cabal; Manuel Locatelli, Weston McKennie; Francisco Conceicao, Teun Koopmeiners, Timothy Weah; Dusan Vlahovic.
Udinese vs Juventus Prediction
Udinese can be a thorn in anyone’s side at home. However, failure isn’t an option for Juventus, and we expect Motta’s team to pick up an all-important three points. We can also envisage a single goal separating the sides at full-time.
Prediction: Juventus to Win
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