Overview
After a goalless draw with Cremonese in the previous round, Hellas Verona has not yet won their first victory in 2026 and continues to sink deep in the relegation race in Serie A.
Although Pisa's heavy defeat to Inter Milan helped Verona temporarily escape from the bottom of the table, they are still only better than their opponent in terms of sub-index.
This is only the third time in Verona's history that they have won 14 points or less after this period of the season in Serie A. And in both previous times, they had to receive relegation tickets.
The poor performance since Christmas with 4 defeats and 2 draws - including 4 matches without scoring a goal - clearly reflects Verona's serious problems in both attack and defense. The situation becomes even more difficult as key creative midfielder Giovane is approaching leaving the team in the January transfer window.
Returning to Bentegodi stadium is also not guaranteed to bring much hope. Verona has lost all 3 recent home matches and has only won one in 11 matches here this season. Including the defeat that caused them to stop early in the Coppa Italia against their arch-rival Venezia.
However, the history of head-to-head matches is somewhat in the home team's favor. Verona has won three out of five recent receptions of Udinese in Serie A and kept a clean sheet in five out of six recent encounters between the two teams.
Including the 1-1 draw in the first leg this season, Udinese has not won against Verona in six consecutive encounters in the national championship, whether at home or away.
The visiting team's form is also not too positive. Udinese started 2026 with difficulties, with a 2-2 draw against Pisa before losing minimally 0-1 to Inter Milan.
The Friuli team currently stands in the mid-table area, too far from the European cup group but also safe enough to avoid the relegation battle, similar to what they showed last season.
Notably, coach Kosta Runjaic's team is having a record almost identical to the 2024-2025 season, with 26 points after 21 rounds thanks to 7 wins, 5 draws and 9 defeats.
However, Udinese's away form is still a big question mark. They have only won two of their last eight away games before traveling to Bentegodi. This team is facing the risk of failing to beat Verona for the first time in seven consecutive encounters in Serie A.
Personnel situation
Verona coach Paolo Zanetti continues to have a headache with the personnel situation before this match. Tomas Suslov, Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro and Armel Bella-Kotchap are definitely absent due to injuries, while a series of other names are still racing against time to recover in time.
Two center-backs Martin Frese and Nicolas Valentini both have muscle problems, while Rafik Belghali (ankle injury) and Moatasem Al-Musrati (leg injury) also leave open the possibility of playing.
On the Udinese side, the force situation is more positive. Striker Keinan Davis will continue to lead the Friuli team's attack.
However, Nicolo Zaniolo has not yet been able to return to play, while two Polish players, Adam Buksa and Jakub Piotrowski, are also definitely absent.
Expected lineup:
Hellas Verona: Montipo, Nunez, Nelsson, Ebosse, Lirola, Serdar, Gagliardini, Bernede, Bradaric, Sarr, Orban.
Okoye, Kristensen, Kabasele, Solet, Zanoli, Miller, Karlstrom, Ekkelenkamp, Kamara, Atta, Davis.
The match between Verona and Udinese takes place at 2:45 AM on January 27 (Vietnam time).
