Udinese vs Cagliari Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 Italian Serie A
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With the Pozzo family putting more focus back onto Udinese this season after switching from Watford, the Friulians need to respond from a narrow defeat to AC Milan by defeating an in-form and much-improved Cagliari side this weekend.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Friday 25th October, 2024 - UK – 5:30pm / US ET – 12:30pm / US PT – 9:30am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – Not televised / US – Select matches will be televised on CBS Sports so it is worth checking their schedule
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – OneFootball / US – Paramount+
UDINESE PREVIEW: IMPROVED FRIULIANS
Off the pitch, Udinese’s owners have seemingly turned their attention away from Watford and back to Udinese after they narrowly avoided relegation from Serie A on the final day of last season. The home team had started the campaign very well and remain in the top-half but they have now suffered three defeats in their last four matches.
Their most recent outing saw them go to San Siro at the weekend to face an unconvincing AC Milan side. Udinese went a goal down in the 13th minute via Samu Chukwueze before Tijjani Reijnders’ red card in the 29th minute. Despite being down to ten men for over an hour, the Rossoneri held Milan at bay.
CAGLIARI PREVIEW: IMPROVED SARDINIANS
Last season, Cagliari managed to steer themselves away from the bottom three and the relegation places under the management of the now retired Claudio Ranieri, who had led them to promotion in the 2022/23 campaign from Serie B. They appointed the Serie A miracle worker, Davide Nicola, as his replacement over the summer.
Supporter unrest and protest dominated the opening weeks of the season with a really poor start to the campaign but the Sardinians come into this one on the back of collecting seven points from their last three matches. They most recently came from 2-1 down in the 75th minute to defeat Torino by three goals to one at the Sardegna Arena.
UDINESE TEAM NEWS: STILL NO ALEXIS
One of the key signs that Udinese had once again got the full focus and backing of the Pozzo family was the return of Alexis Sanchez but he remains unavailable due to injury.
As well as the former Olympique de Marseille forward, the hosts will also be missing Thomas Kristensen, Arthur Atta and another former Marseille man, Florian Thauvin.
PREDICTED XI (3-5-2): Okoye; Kabasele, Bijol, Toure; Ehizibue, Lovric, Karlstrom, Oier Zarraga, Zemura; Lucca, Iker Bravo
UNAVAILABLE: Kristensen (Injured), Atta (Injured), Thauvin (Injured), Sanchez (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
CAGLIARI TEAM NEWS: NO FRESH ISSUES
There are no fresh injury concerns for Cagliari to deal with ahead of this weekend with just a couple of injury absentees and one key injury doubt, too.
Czechia international Jakub Jankto is a doubt for this weekend’s clash, whilst the likes of Adam Obert and forward Leonardo Pavoletti are unavailable due to injury.
PREDICTED XI (3-4-2-1): Scuffet; Zappa, Yerry Mina, Luperto; Zortea, Adopo, Makoumbou, Augello; Nicolas Viola, Luvumbo; Piccoli
UNAVAILABLE: Obert (Injured), Pavoletti (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE: Jankto (Injured)
UDINESE VS CAGLIARI PREDICTION
Udinese could do with rediscovering their consistency and fluency that they had at the start of the season or there will be a concern that things are following a similar pattern to the 2022/23 campaign when they started brightly and then badly collapsed. Cagliari have improved and have done so with a more attacking style of football than was to be expected so this could be quite entertaining for the neutral with both tams scoring appearing a good value bet for this one.
UDINESE VS CAGLIARI TIP: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
