Udinese vs Roma Preview and Lineups – Serie A Round 5

Sunday’s Serie A action closes out at the Dacia Arena as Udinese and Roma go head-to-head in similar circumstances. Both sides have had identical returns from their last three league outings, suggesting not much separates them ahead of the kick-off. 

Following a 4-2 defeat to reigning champions Milan on the opening weekend, Udinese have not lost any of their subsequent three Serie A matches (W2, D1). New boss Andrea Sottil will want to prevent history from repeating itself. His side experienced identical fortunes in the opening four matchdays last season, only to lose to Roma in the fifth round.

On the other hand, Jose Mourinho’s men have enjoyed a stellar start to the season. Led by Tammy Abraham and Paulo Dybala, the Giallorossi have won three of their opening four Serie A games (D1). Going into this encounter, Roma are one of only six teams yet to lose a single fixture in Italy’s elite competition. In doing so, they conceded a league joint-low one goal, suggesting Mourinho is back to his old habits. 

Unlike Udinese, who lost some vital first-team members over the summer, including Brandon Soppy and Nahuel Molina, Roma assembled a group of players that can bolster the club’s bid to capture their first top-four finish since 2017/18. In addition to Dybala, Andrea Belotti, Nemanja Matic, and Zeki Celik will be the three remaining new faces in contention for the matchday squad. 

Match Preview

Udinese

After a two-game winless start to the 2022/23 Serie A season (D1, L1), Udinese have racked up back-to-back victories against Monza and Fiorentina. But with each triumph yielding a single-goal margin, Sottil’s men can ill-afford to get complacent. Instead, they should be looking for more conviction against a side they’ve failed to beat in 17 of their last 19 league meetings (D2, L15).

More importantly, Udinese have failed to get on the scoresheet in ten of those 19 duels against Roma. Standout striker Beto could make sure to buck that trend after finding the net in his last two Serie A appearances. The Portuguese goal-getter has already strung together three scoring league matches in Italy’s top-flight, so it’s hard to put it past him to trouble the scoreboard again.

Though scoring has not been the hosts’ strong suit this term, Udinese can draw confidence from their rock-solid defending. Sotil’s lads have kept a clean sheet in both Serie A outings at Friuli this term despite facing an average of four attempts on target per game. Keeping Roma at bay won’t be easy, as the Friulani have only registered one shutout in their last ten home league H2Hs.

Roma

Staying compact at the back has been a recipe for Mourinho’s side this season. Each of the visitors’ three Serie A wins in 2021/22 has been accompanied by a clean sheet. Indeed, only in a 1-1 draw at Juventus last weekend have Roma failed to record a shutout. That could be massive as they seek a historic milestone history.

Mourinho led his side to four triumphs in the opening five Serie A matchdays last season. Roma are one victory away from racking up four wins from their first four top-flight matches in back-to-back seasons for only the third time in the club’s history. Moreover, they are already on the cusp of achieving a significant landmark.

In each of the last four top-flight seasons in which Roma gathered 10+ points in their first four Serie A fixtures, they ended the campaign as runners-up. That bodes well for Mourinho’s effort to steer the Giallorossi back to the coveted Champions League finish. And with Dybala on his side, this should be another plain sailing for the Portuguese boss.

The Argentine has scored ten goals against Udinese, making them his most regular victims in Serie A.

Team News

Moroccan left-back Adam Masina and Portuguese defender Leonardo Buta are unavailable for selection in the Udinese camp due to injuries.

As for Roma, Georginio Wijnaldum, Nicolo Zaniolo, Marash Kumbulla, and Stephan El Shaarawy won’t be making this journey with the rest of the squad.

Udinese vs Roma Potential Line-ups

Udinese (3-5-2): Marco Silvestri, Rodrigo Becao, Jaka Bijol, Bram Nuytinck, Roberto Pereyra, Sandi Lovric, Lazar Samardzic, Jean-Victor Makengo, Destiny Udogie, Gerard Deulofeu, Beto.

Roma (3-4-2-1): Rui Patricio, Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling, Roger Ibanez, Zeki Celik, Bryan Cristante, Nemanja Matic, Leonardo Spinazzola, Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Tammy Abraham.