Udinese will welcome Fiorentina to the Stadio Friuli in Serie A on Sunday as they look to record their first win of the season.
The hosts are unbeaten in the league since a 3-0 home loss to Juventus in their campaign opener, drawing three games in a row. In their previous outing, they were held to a goalless draw by Udinese. With three points from four games thus far, they are in 16th place in the league table.
The visitors have fared better than the hosts in the league thus far, with two wins in four games. They returned to winning ways after two games last Sunday, as goals from Giacomo Bonaventura, Lucas Martínez Quarta, and Christian Kouamé helped them defeat Atalanta 3-2 at home.
They got their UEFA Europa Conference League campaign underway on Thursday, playing out a 2-2 draw, with defender Luca Ranieri bagging a first-half brace.
Udinese vs Fiorentina Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have squared off 106 times in all competitions. The visitors have dominated proceedings against northern rivals with wins in half of these meetings (53). The hosts have 25 wins to their name and 28 games have ended in draws.
- Last season, both teams recorded home wins in the two Serie A meetings while also keeping clean sheets.
- The last seven meetings between the two teams at Sunday's venue have produced fewer than 2.5 goals.
- The last seven meetings between them across all competitions have produced conclusive results, with four wins for the visitors and three wins for the hosts.
- Interestingly, Udinese have drawn 30 of their last 80 league games. No other team across Europe's top five leagues has drawn more games since the beginning of the 2021-22 season.
Udinese vs Fiorentina Prediction
The Friulani have drawn three games in a row, with the last two games ending in goalless stalemates. Interestingly, they have failed to score in their last four home games in Serie A, suffering three defeats, and might struggle here.
They have a lengthy injury list, with defenders Christian Kabasele and Enzo Ebosse also joining the absentee list last week.
The Viola are sweating over Nicolás González's fitness after the midfielder was substituted following the halftime break with a muscle strain in the Conference League against Genk.
The hosts have scored just one goal in four league games thus far but have a good defensive record, conceding four goals in that period. The visitors have scored and conceded nine goals in four league games. Ten of the last 12 meetings between them have produced fewer than 2.5 goals.
Considering the lengthy absentee list for the hosts and poor goalscoring form, we back the visitors to eke out a narrow win and the odds of a clean sheet also look good.
Prediction: Udinese 0-1 Fiorentina
Udinese vs Fiorentina Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Fiorentina to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Alfred Duncan to score or assist any time - Yes