Juventus face Udinese after midweek Parma draw.

2024-10-27

Struggling to regain momentum, Udinese hosts a Juventus side eager to break a pattern of draws in a captivating Serie A clash this Saturday evening at the Bluenergy Stadium.

Udinese

Udinese suffered a third consecutive away defeat in Serie A after squandering a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 against Venezia in midweek. Sandi Lovrić and Iker Bravo gave Kosta Runjaić’s side an early advantage, but they ultimately fell short, conceding once before halftime and twice more in the second half after Isaak Touré received a red card in the 53rd minute.

"We played very well in the first half; we were in control; we came close to the third goal, which would have closed the match," Runjaić said after the loss. "After the red card, I expected them to wake up; we tried to bring home at least one point; it's an unfortunate defeat," he added.

The White and Blacks have alternated between a defeat and a win in the last five league games, placing them 7th with 16 points, level with sixth-placed Lazio, who have a game in hand. Next up is a home league clash against Juventus this Saturday, where Udinese will look to bounce back with a win.

The hosts could draw on their fine home form as inspiration heading into this weekend’s encounter, having recorded wins in four of their five home games this season. However, Udinese have recorded just one win in their last 14 home league games against Juve.

Lorenzo Lucca and Bravo are expected in attack in Runjaić’s 3-5-2 formation. Meanwhile, Isaak Touré is ruled out following the red card against Venezia.

Juventus

Juventus had to settle for a disappointing 2-2 draw against Parma, courtesy of goals from Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah, having gone behind twice. "Tonight, we wanted a different result, because we know we can do better; we didn’t do what was necessary to win," said Thiago Motta after the game.

"We need to leave this game behind and recover our energy to face Udinese at our best," he added, as they shift focus to this weekend’s game in Udine. The result saw Juve record back-to-back draws in the league, dropping a spot to fourth place in the standings with 18 points, seven points adrift of table-toppers Napoli.

The visitors will aim to get back to winning ways against Udinese. Juventus have recorded victories in their last two league visits to Udinese and could secure three straight top-flight victories against the hosts for just the second time in the 21st century. A 4-3-3 formation with Dušan Vlahović at the heart of the attack is expected.