Udinese are desperate to end the five-match winless run and keep their Champions League hopes alive, but numerous selection problems are making life difficult for Zebrette. Parma, on the other hand, just ended the eight-match winless run as they beat Lazio at home and il Ducali will try to create another surprise.

Tough times for Udinese

This season didn’t start well for Udinese as the Zebrette failed to reach Champions League group stages, but that proved to be a blessing in disguise as Francesco Guidolin’s side could fully focus on their Serie A campaign. By fielding second string sides in Europa League, the experienced tactician made sure his key players remain fresh for league games and such an approach helped Friulani enter the race for a top 3 finish. After going strong for 25 Serie A rounds, Udinese have suffered a small dip in form of late as the team struggled to deal with numerous injury problems. The situation is now improving and with Lazio and Napoli set to face each other, Udinese have a very good chance to close the gap behind their top 3 rivals. Let us not forget that Zebrette are the second-best hosts in Serie A, whereas Parma are one of the worst travelers in the elite division.

Maurizio Isla, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu and Diego Fabbrini are all sidelined, while Damiano Feronetti, Dusan Basta and Antonio Floro Flores are rated doubtful.

Invaluable win for Parma

Boasting a really good blend of youth and experience, Parma were expected to fight for a top half finish, but instead il Ducali found themselves involved in the relegation battle. While the team showed some promise in the first part of the league campaign, they experienced major problems after the winter break and were in danger of slipping into the relegation zone after the eight-match winless run. However, Roberto Donadoni’s side showed some improvement to beat Lazio at the weekend, thus extending their lead over the bottom three to seven points. Parma now travel to Friuli to face very good Udinese side and seeing their hosts will be very motivated to end the poor run of results, il Ducali will have to give their best in order to avoid defeat in Udine. That will be no easy task as Parma are one of the worst travelers in the top flight, having won just 2 of 15 away games.

Raffaele Palladino is back in contention after the lengthy spell on the sidelines, but Stefano Ferrario remains sidelined.

Verdict

Udinese may be going through a difficult period at the moment but Friulani are bound to come good any time now and they have got to be considered favourites against Parma. Il Ducali have just ended the dismal run of results, but one good performance cannot change the fact that they lack some quality to face the best sides in the league.

Our prediction: Home win

Odds: 1.85 (17/20)

Bookmaker: BetVictor