Preview: Hellas Verona vs. Udinese - prediction, team news, lineups

Having pulled wide of the Serie A driblet portion by winning past weekend, Hellas Verona anticipation to commencement 2025 successful akin benignant arsenic they big Udinese connected Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Fruilani caput for Stadio Bentegodi occupying a top-half spot successful the standings, and they volition purpose to headdress disconnected an awesome archetypal fractional of the season.

Match preview

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Taking afloat vantage of their hosts going down to 10 men, Verona upset the likelihood to decision in-form Bologna astatine Stadio Dall'Ara successful their last fixture of 2024.

Forward brace Amin Sarr and Casper Tengstedt some struck during the archetypal half, but the Rossoblu fought backmost to acceptable up a melodramatic finale; ultimately, an ain extremity secured triumph for Verona successful the 88th minute, sparking chaotic celebrations.

Paolo Zanetti's broadside truthful entered the caller twelvemonth sitting 16th successful the table, with 18 points from arsenic galore matches - 4 wide of the relegation zone.

However, the Gialloblu travel into Saturday's contention having mislaid their past 3 location fixtures, scoring lone erstwhile and conceding 10 times successful the process.

Either location oregon away, Hellas person failed to support a azygous cleanable expanse successful immoderate of their past 15 league games, and they unsurprisingly clasp the Italian apical flight's worst antiaircraft record.

They have, though, unopen retired Udinese successful 4 of the clubs' past 5 meetings astatine Stadio Bentegodi, including a 1-0 triumph past term, erstwhile Diego Coppola scored the lone extremity heavy into second-half stoppage time.

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While past whitethorn not beryllium connected their broadside this weekend, Udinese tin surely instrumentality immoderate improving signifier into their year-opening fixture.

Last week, an eventful 2-2 location gully with Torino could rather easy person ended successful victory, but aft Lorenzo Lucca scored their 2nd with a trademark header, the Friulani conceded doubly to driblet 2 precious points.

Udinese person present scored 8 headed goals successful Serie A this season, less lone than Atalanta BC crossed Europe's apical 5 leagues; successful percent presumption (35%), lone Getafe (36%) person produced much truthful far.

Despite missing retired connected a 5th location win, that constituent near them ninth successful the standings, approaching the midpoint of a promising campaign.

Having narrowly survived the driblet to Serie B past season, Udinese started brightly this term, portion caller results person helped them regain immoderate mislaid momentum: Kosta Runjaic's broadside person mislaid lone 1 of their past 4 league matches, aft claiming conscionable a constituent from the erstwhile five.

The Bianconeri person won some of their past 2 distant games successful Serie A by the aforesaid 2-1 scoreline, versus Monza and Fiorentina. Curiously, the past clip they posted 3 connected the rotation was backmost successful October 2022 - the archetypal coming against Monza and the 3rd against nary different than Verona.

Hellas Verona Serie A form:

Udinese Serie A form:

Udinese signifier (all competitions):

Team News

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Once again, Verona volition beryllium missing Martin Frese, positive semipermanent absentees Juan Cruz and Abdou Harroui, but skipper Darko Lazovic is disposable contempt being withdrawn during past week's triumph successful Bologna.

Hellas manager Paolo Zanetti has suggested his skipper was substituted owed to illness, truthful the long-serving winger should beryllium acceptable to commencement connected Saturday.

Up front, Amin Sarr and Benfica loanee Casper Tengstedt could articulation forces again - the second is Verona's apical scorer with six Serie A goals this season.

Meanwhile, Udinese's main marksman Lorenzo Lucca has scored 3 successful his past 4 league appearances - arsenic galore arsenic passim the erstwhile 12. With conscionable 1 much strike, the Italy planetary would adjacent his full from the full 2023-24 campaign.

Oier Zarraga, Keinan Davis, Lautaro Giannetti and first-choice goalkeeper Maduka Okoye are inactive absent for the Bianconeri, but Danish defender Thomas Kristensen has flooded a virus, and Kosta Runjaic inactive has respective options to take from successful attack.

Veteran striker Alexis Sanchez precocious returned to action, portion Brenner and Iker Bravo are besides lining up down the existent pairing of Lucca and Florian Thauvin.

Hellas Verona imaginable starting lineup:
Montipo; Dawidowicz, Coppola, Ghilardi; Tchatchoua, Duda, Serdar, Lazovic; Suslov; Sarr, Tengstedt

We say: Hellas Verona 1-2 Udinese

It has been triumph oregon bust astatine the Bentegodi this season, arsenic Verona person suffered 7 losses and posted 3 wins truthful far.

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