VERONA – UDINESE | Monday 8:45pm
The last to take the field is the big surprise of the first seven days of the championship, the Udinese of debutant Andrea Sottil. The Friulians, led by a coach who before this summer had never set foot in the top flight (except as a player), have returned to the feeling of ‘vertigo’ in the top flight that they have not felt for many years, since the days of Totò Di Natale to be more precise. The question many are asking is: how long will it last? The coach, however, does not want to ask himself this question. He reasons match by match, aware that the first objective is to secure salvation. To understand if Udinese can aim at something more noble, we will have to wait at least until halfway through the tournament. At the moment, the Bianconeri are enjoying a solitary third place behind the leading pair formed by Napoli and Atalanta, and they want to keep on running fast.
The Bianconeri are undoubtedly the fittest in the tournament, but above all they boast excellent fitness. Sottil can count on many talented youngsters, some of whom are close to blossoming. Udinese have won five in a row after the defeat in the opening match against AC Milan and the blank-net draw with Salernitana. Nobody passes at the Dacia Arena: Roma and Inter are well aware of this, beaten 4-0 and 3-1 respectively. In the away match in Verona Pereyra and his team-mates will be looking for confirmation. And they will try to take advantage of the difficulties of ex Cioffi’s Gialloblù, resized by the summer market. The Scaligeri have five points, they are currently out of the red zone, but they come from two bad defeats against Lazio and Fiorentina, in which they cashed in four goals without scoring any. Their only success remains the one against Sampdoria (2-1).
Verona-Udinese: latest line-up news
Cioffi
Scaligeri in a results crisis but also with some serious injury problems. Cioffi cannot yet dispose of outside player Faraoni, unavailable due to an ankle problem. Ilic, who returned from the national team with muscle problems, is also in doubt. Veloso and Tameze should play in midfield, while Depaoli and Doig will find space on the flanks. The coach returns to the double trequartista, with Lazovic and Verdi behind ex-Venice striker Henry.
Sottil, on the other hand, can field the best possible line-up: only Masina and Buta are out. Also in Verona we will see Pereyra again in the right outside role, while in the midfield Makengo will alternate with a restless Samardzic, whose contribution from the bench is always conspicuous. In front, the Deulofeu-Beto duo will be confirmed.
The prediction
Udinese could indirectly ’cause’ the exoneration of their former coach Gabriele Cioffi, at serious risk of dismissal after his team’s two defeats in Rome and Florence. Verona will try everything to avoid defeat, but they lack quality and could suffer too much from the athleticism of the bianconeri, who seem slightly favoured for victory. The Friulians also boast one of the most prolific attacks in the tournament, with 15 goals scored: they are more ‘shy’ away from home, but there should be no shortage of goals at the ‘Bentegodi’: at least three in total are expected.
Verona v Udinese likely line-up
- VERONA (3-4-2-1): Montipò; Gunter, Hien, Ceccherini; Depaoli, Tameze, Veloso, Doig; Verdi, Lazovic; Henry.
- UDINESE (3-5-2): Silvestri; Becao, Bijol, Perez; Pereyra, Lovric, Walace, Makengo, Udogie; Deulofeu, Beto.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
