Serie A Preview: Udinese vs Milan – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Bluenergy Stadium forms the backdrop for a mid-table Serie A encounter between out-of-form Udinese and downtrodden Milan. Both teams head into proceedings amid rough patches, with the visitors desperately seeking three points to return in contention for European qualification.

Udinese’s freefall ahead of the season finale continued last weekend with a narrow 1-0 away loss to Genoa, derailing their hopes of locking down a top-half finish in Serie A since 2012/13. Yet, they enter this round level on points with 10th-placed Torino and eight behind their upcoming rivals in ninth.

There’s still a chance for manager Kosta Runjaic to help Udinese avoid a 12th consecutive bottom-half finish. However, the Friulians must recover from an underwhelming three-match losing run in Serie A and return to the win column for the first time since a narrow 1-0 home triumph against Parma at the start of March.

Speaking of imperatives, Milan cannot afford a slip-up in Udine. A fifth successive top-four finish is a pipe dream after Sergio Conceicao’s side fell nine points behind fourth-placed Bologna on the back of a 2-2 home draw against Fiorentina last weekend. If it’s any consolation, they recovered from a two-goal deficit to scoop up a point in that fixture.

Worryingly, the ignominy of missing out on European football altogether for the first time since 2019/20 has become a distinct possibility for Milan. Indeed, the visitors trail sixth-placed Lazio by seven points, and with only seven games to go, they must treat every match down the final stretch as a ‘must win.’

Match Preview

Udinese

In addition to losing three games on the trot, Udinese failed to get on the scoresheet twice in that sequence, including a gut-wrenching 1-0 defeat to bottom-half Hellas Verona in their last home outing. The only exception to this unenviable run came against Milan’s bitter rivals Inter in a tight 2-1 defeat at the San Siro a fortnight ago.

After back-to-back road trips, Runjaic’s charges return to the Bluenergy Stadium, where they’ve won just one of their six league clashes against teams starting this round ahead of them in the table (D1, L4). Therefore, Udinese’s chances of bouncing back from a wasteful spell of form look bleak.

Connoisseurs of action-packed football cannot look forward to the opening 15 minutes, with Udinese’s home league matches this season featuring a joint-low three goals. On the bright side, the Friulians have racked up eight consecutive first-half clean sheets on their home turf (HT: W5, D3), suggesting they could secure a favorable result at halftime.

Milan

Winless in three consecutive games across all competitions (D2, L1), Milan take this trip in troubled spirits and perhaps distracted by the upcoming return leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final tie against Inter. Indeed, that’s the visitors’ best chance of securing European qualification now that they need a miracle to haul back a substantial deficit on Lazio.

Prone to slow starts, Milan have conceded the opening goal in five of their last six outings, highlighting their indifferent early approach as a genuine source of concern. Falling behind inside the opening five minutes resulted in a 2-1 defeat at Napoli on their last Serie A road trip, making it six losses from their eight most recent games away from home (W2).

Defensive frailties have seen Milan concede multiple goals in their last four Serie A matches outside the San Siro for the first time since December 2023. Ominously, they’ve encountered the same fate on their two latest visits to Udinese’s home ground (W1, L1), making it for bleak reading ahead of this must-win trip.

Team News

Udinese cannot call upon the services of Alexis Sanchez, Florian Thauvin, Keinan Davies, Jordan Zemura, and Isaak Toure. With Sanchez and Thauvin unavailable for selection, all eyes will be on towering striker Lorenzo Lucca, who has hit double digits in Serie A this term.

In addition to long-term absentee Emerson Royal, Milan lost Manchester City loanee Kyle Walker to an elbow injury in the build-up to this showdown. Walker has joined Santiago Gimenez, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and the Brazilian full-back on the sidelines, meaning Alejandro Jimenez should return to the starting XI.

Udinese vs Milan Potential Starting Line-ups

Udinese (4-4-2): Okoye; Ehizibue, Bijol, Solet, Kamara; Atta, Lovric, Karlstrom, Ekkelenkamp; Bravo, Lucca.

Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Jimenez, Gabbia, Thiaw, Hernandez; Fofana, Bondo; Pulisic, Reijnders, Rafael Leao; Abraham.

Udinese vs Milan Prediction

Both teams will take the field in poor shape, but Milan’s sheer firepower in the front third should help the visitors put an all-important three points on the board.