Saturday's game between Udinese and Como at Bluenergy Stadium will be the 23rd time they have met in Serie A. Udinese have won 10, lost six and drawn six of the previous encounters but have never lost at home in Serie A and were last beaten on home soil in February 1968 (in Serie C). Como's last goal in Udine dates back to April 2003. Last season's home fixture with Como, on Easter Monday, ended 0-0.
Udinese are set to kick off their 32nd consecutive season in Serie A – only Inter, Roma, Milan and Lazio have longer uninterupted spells in the top flight – and will be looking to win their opening-day match for the first time since the 2019/20 season.
Both of Kosta Runjaic's previous season-openers finished 1-1: against Bologna in 2024/25 and Verona last year.
Runjaic and Cesc Fabregas – the only two Serie A coaches who have been in charge of their respective teams since the start of the 2024/25 season – will be facing off for the fifth time. Our coach's record is one win, one draw and two defeats.
Last season the German led Udinese to their first 50-point tally since the 2012/13 campaign, while Fabregas orchestrated 19 clean sheets from Como's 38 league matches – a record bettered by no other team in Europe's top five leagues.
One of Como's main danger men is Nico Paz: last season he was the player who took the most shots (46) and completed the most dribbles (138).
Mergim Vojvoda will be facing his former team having joined Udinese in the summer after 18 months at Como.