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There are a number of crucial six-pointers down at the bottom end of the table and this one is another as Empoli travel up to the very north eastern point of Italy this weekend.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: UK – 14:00 / US EST – 09:00 / US PST – 07:00
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: This match will be televised live on TNT Sports in the UK. / This match will not be televised in the UK.
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: This match will be streamed live via the TNT Sports app in the UK. / This match will be streamed live via Paramount+ in the US.
UDINESE PREVIEW: FRIULIANS REMAIN IN DANGER
Both Andrea Sottil and former Crawley Town boss Gabriele Cioffi had been underwhelming in charge of Udinese with the Friulians struggling get victories on the board and drawing far too often. However, the appointment of 2006 FIFA World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro a few weeks ago may well have just about helped them survive the drop.
They began with a 2-1 loss at home to Roma with a second-half stoppage-time winner before back-to-back draws against Bologna and Napoli before a vital victory last weekend. They went down south to face Lecce and managed an impressive 2-0 victory with goals from Lorenzo Lucca and Lazar Samardzic.
EMPOLI PREVIEW: NICOLA’S LATEST MIRACLE
Both Paolo Zanetti and Aurelio Andreazzoli endured difficult times of it in charge of Empoli this season so they turned their attention to someone known as Italy’s ‘miracle worker’ in Davide Nicola, who oversaw so-called ‘great escapes’ with both Crotone and then Salernitana. His third miracle could well happen, too, after a major improvement since his mid-January appointment.
The Florence-based club come into this penultimate round of Serie A fixtures sitting just inside the bottom three and the relegation places on goal difference below Frosinone and just a point behind Udinese and Cagliari, two off Hellas Verona. That is because they recently suffered a 2-0 loss at the Stadio Olimpico in the capital city of Rome against Lazio last weekend.
UDINESE TEAM NEWS: THAUVIN COULD RETURN
Florian Thauvin could return for Udinese this weekend but they remain without several other first-teamers such as goalkeeper Marco Silvestri as well as players such as Vivaldo, Enzo Ebosse and Sandi Lovric.
PREDICTED XI (3-4-2-1): Okoye; Perez, Bijol, Kristensen; Ehizibue, Walace, Payero, Kamara; Samardzic, Isaac; Lucca
UNAVAILABLE: Silvestri (Injured), Vivaldo (Injured), Lovric (Injured), Ebosse (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE: Thauvin (Injured)
EMPOLI TEAM NEWS: GUARINO REMAINS A DOUBT
There are two injury issues for Davide Nicola to deal with as Empoli travel north this weekend. Defender Tyronne Ebuehi remains unavailable with his ACL injury, whilst Gabriele Guarino is also a doubt for this one.
PREDICTED XI (3-5-2): Caprile; Bereszynski, Ismajli, Luperto; Gyasi, Bastoni, Marin, Maleh, Pezzella; Caputo, Cancellieri
UNAVAILABLE: Ebuehi (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE: Guarino (Injured)
UDINESE VS EMPOLI PREDICTION
If we have a winner in this one then that team will all but secure their Serie A status for next season. Udinese have been much-improved since the appointment of Fabio Cannavaro but that improvement has once again been based on a solid defensive record. Empoli, under Davide Nicola, have also prioritised being tight at the back having scored just 26 goals in Serie A this season; which is the lowest of anyone in the league. A low-scoring encounter is to be expected for this one, regardless of the match result.
UDINESE VS EMPOLI TIP: UNDER 2.5 GOALS