Udinese vs AS Roma prediction, preview, team news and more | Serie A 2020-21
In this weekend's action in Serie A, Udinese welcome AS Roma at the Stadio Friuli.
Both sides are winless in the competition after two weeks as the hosts have kicked off their campaign with two back to back losses while Roma head into the game having held Juventus to a 2-2 draw at the Stadio Olimpico last Sunday.
Udinese, currently 17th in the league standings, are the only side in Serie A who have not yet scored this season. The side from Friuli share the same goal difference of -3 with Roma, who have scored twice and conceded five goals and are currently languishing at 15th place in the standings.
For the home side, getting on the scoresheet will be the main objective while the visitors will be hoping to carry the momentum from their draw into this match and record their first win of the 2020-21 campaign.
Udinese vs AS Roma Head-to-Head
Roma have faced their northern rivals 98 times across all competitions, with almost half of those meetings coming before the turn of the century.
The current head-to-head record favours Roma with 50 wins for the Giallorossi, while Udinese have 23 wins. The remaining 25 fixtures have ended in draws.
Their 14 most recent encounters have produced a decisive result. Udinese won their latest meeting back in July at the Stadio Olimpico, while their last win at Stadio Friuli came in the 2018-19 campaign.
Udinese Form guide: L-L
Roma Form guide: D-L
Udinese vs AS Roma Team News
For Udinese coach Luca Gotti, Rolando Mandragora remains a long-term absentee, after he suffered a double knee tear back in July. Jens Larsen had off-season surgery and is likely to miss the next couple of games before completing his recovery. Walace and Nahuel Molina have also been ruled out due to an undisclosed issue.
Bram Nuytinck suffered from a minor quad injury and remains a doubt for the game.
Injured: Jens Larsen (thigh), Rolando Mandragora (knee), Walace (undisclosed), Nahuel Molina (undisclosed)
Doubtful: Bram Nuytinck
Suspended: None
Paulo Fonseca is set to be without midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo after the 21-year-old suffered a second ACL injury in a year and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Roma are expected to be without Diego Perotti for one more week after as he continues to recover from a thigh strain.
Javier Pastore underwent hip surgery back in August and is not expected back this month. New signing Marash Kumbulla started against Juventus and is expected to retain his spot in the starting XI. Jordan Veretout bagged a brace in the previous fixture and should be one of the first names on the team sheet.
Injured: Javier Pastore (hip), Diego Perotti (thigh), Nicolo Zaniolo (ACL)
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Udinese vs AS Roma Predicted XI
Udinese Predicted XI (3-5-2): Juan Musso; Rodrigo Becao, Sebastien De Maio, Samir; Hidde ter Avest, Rodrigo De Paul, Tolgay Arslan, Mamadou Coulibaly, Marvin Zeegelaar; Kevin Lasagna, Stefano Okaka
AS Roma Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Antonio Mirante; Marash Kumbulla, Gianluca Mancini, Roger Ibanez; Davide Santon, Jordan Veretout, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Leonardo Spinazzola; Pedro, Henrikh Mkhitaryan; Edin Dzeko
Udinese vs AS Roma Prediction
AS Roma have a lot of talented players in its ranks, especially in the final third but they are yet to hit top gear this season. There were glimpses of brilliance in their game against Juventus and we think they will perform at least as well if not better against Udinese.
The hosts are yet to find the back of the net this term and how they deal with this lack of potency in the final third will play a huge role in the outcome of the game on Saturday night.
Overall, Roma should be able to secure a narrow victory over their opponents but we should not be surprised if the game ends in a goalless draw.
Prediction: Udinese 0-2 AS Roma