Overview
Udinese ended the 2024-2025 Serie A season in 12th place, after a home defeat to Fiorentina in the final round. This is a disappointing end, especially when the friuli team had a promising start.
Escaping the relegation zone in March, Udinese have fallen again, having lost 8 of their last 10 matches and only won 4 more points. In fact, they have won just one of their last five home games. However, with a total of 44 points, Udinese still improved significantly compared to the 2023-2024 season, when they were just good enough to stay in the league.
In his second season, coach Kosta Runjaic aims to bring the team back to the top half of the rankings, even after losing key striker Lorenzo Lucca, who joined Napoli.
The German tactician also quickly brought a new wind to rookies such as youngster Lennon Miller or former Empoli defenders Saba Goglichidze.
Their form in the opening period of the season is also quite positive.Udinese won 3 consecutive friendly matches, then overcame Carrarese in Coppa Italia thanks to goals from Arthur atta and Iker Bravo.
This team will face Palermo in the second round, but first of all, their goal is to find their first win against Verona since October 2022.
While Udinese ran out of steam at the end of last season, Verona showed impressive resilience. The Veneto side have lost just three of their last 10 games. They have successfully stayed in the league and are looking forward to their seventh consecutive Serie A season.
This achievement is even more remarkable as in history, Hellas Verona has only extended their streak of appearing in the top flight of Italy for 8 seasons (1982-1990). This was the only period when they won the Scudetto. That clearly reflects the efforts and stability that this team is building.
In the midst of a turbulent summer in Serie A, Paolo Zanetti is one of the few coaches to keep his job. With the trust of the board, he aims to bring Scaligeri to the mid-table in the 2025-2026 season.
However, their journey started not very smoothly. Verona was held to a 1-1 draw by lower-ranked Audace Cerignola in the Coppa Italia, only able to continue thanks to a 4-2 win on penalties.
The second leg against Venezia promises to be even more difficult, and Zanetti will certainly expect his players to show a different face when facing Udinese.
Personnel situation
Despite losing the trio of key players Lorenzo Lucca, Jaka Bijol and Florian Thauvin in the summer transfer window, Kosta Runjaic still kept his familiar formation when facing Carrarese in Coppa Italia.
However, he also has a few new faces in hand. Up front, Iker Bravo will compete with veteran Alexis Sanchez to support Keinan Davis. Meanwhile, Brenner and idol Simone Pafundi are likely to start from the bench.
In goal, Udinese were forced to rotate. Goalkeeper No. Maduka Okoye is serving a 2-month suspension for being involved in a bet, giving Razvan Sava a starting opportunity. Midfielder Jurgen Ekkelenkamp could also be absent due to a muscle injury.
On the other side, Verona also suffered a big loss when losing Diego Coppola and Jackson Tchatchoua to Premier League clubs.
However, new signings Unai Nunez and Giovane are both likely to return after starting in Coppa Italia. In particular, defender Enzo Ebosse will soon have the opportunity to reunite with his former team Udinese.
In terms of force, Verona is only missing Nicolas Valentini ( thigh injury) and Tomas Suslov ( frontal cruciate ligament rupture), the rest have almost all of their strongest squad.
Expected lineup:
Udinese: Sava, Palma, Solet, Kristensen, Ehizibue, atta, Karlstrom, lovric, Zemura, Bravo, Davis.
Hellas Verona: Montipo, Ebosse, Nunez, Frese, Oyegoke, Bernede, Serdar, Niasse, Bradaric, Giovane, Mosquera.
The match between Udinese and Hellas Verona takes place at 23:30 on August 25 (Vietnam time).
