Following back to back defeats to Fiorentina and Milan, Udinese desperately need a victory in order to remain in the title race as well as improve their chances of top 3 finish. Cagliari climbed to the top part of the table as they beat Palermo at home, but they are still in for a difficult task at Friuli.

Isla and Di Natale out

Udinese have done really well in the first part of the season as the Zebrette not only managed to remain in the Serie A title race, but they also qualified for the Europa League knockout stages, in spite of the fact that Francesco Guidolin was constantly fielding under-strength sides in Europe. The Friulani experienced some problems after important players Benatia, Asamoah and Badu left for Africa Cup of Nations and now that they have returned, Antonio Di Natale and Mauricio Isla have picked up injuries. Numerous selection problems were the main reason behind the latest downtrend in form, but with playmaker Kwadwo Asamoah back to the side, things should start to improve. There are no doubts Di Natale and Isla will be sorely missed in this clash, but Antonio Floro Flores is likely to relish the opportunity to prove he can score goals as well. Following the promising showing against PAOK in Europa League, Udinese are expected to win this match and improve their title chances.

Antonio Di Natale, Mauricio Isla, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu and Andrea Coda are all on the sidelines, but Kwadwo Asamoah returns.

Cagliari on the rise

Cagliari established themselves as genuine mid table side and they are staying true to the tag. The team started the season really well and managed to stay above the danger zone even after their performances dropped, which allowed them to play without any pressure and eventually resulted in a very good position in the standings. The Rossoblu have been thoroughly impressive at their Sant’Elia, where they defeated Genoa, Roma and Palermo of late, while sharing spoils only with Fiorentina. However, Davide Ballardini’s side are nowhere near as convincing on the travels, having picked up just 6 points from last 8 away games. The home win over Palermo helped the players keep their spirits high before the Udinese clash, but numerous selection worries are disrupting the good atmosphere at Sant’Elia.

Playmaker Andrea Cossu picked up an injury against Palermo and is now out of contention, just like Moestafa El Kabir, Nene, Francesco Pisano, Rui Sampaio and Sebastian Eriksson.

Verdict

Both sides are missing several very important players, but it is perfectly clear that Udinese have a much bigger squad and they have got to be considered favourites in this clash. Before losing to Milan, the Zebrette won 10 of 11 home games in Serie A, and I certainly expect the trend to continue.

Our prediction: Home win

Odds: 2.05 (21/20)

Bookmaker: BetVictor