Kosta Runjaic has encouraged his team to continue producing the goods in front of the Friuli faithful as they prepare to host Genoa for a Sunday lunchtime kick-off.
The boss was speaking to the media at a press conference ahead of the Serie A fixture.
“We're playing at home and we'll have our fans behind us. Until now we've always produced good performances in our stadium and we want to keep that going, although it won't be easy.
“I can't tell you how we're going to play. We've been giving it a lot of thought. We've practised with four at the back in training this week and it's good to be able to play with two different systems. They each have pros and cons but more importantly we have to go at 100% from the off. The players must be in top form and perform at their best. We'll see about the system – we still have a bit of time to decide.”
Commenting on his attacking options, the coach continued: “[Lorenzo] Lucca and [Keinan] Davis could both start. They've played together before and they complement each other well. They're learning to read each other better. We tried out two strikers in the week. We also have [Florian] Thauvin and several talented youngsters, like Iker Bravo, who has been training well. We have lots of options."
Genoa visit Udine after drawing 2-2 with Cagliari in their first game with Patrick Vieira in charge – the change at the helm providing an extra unknown element.
“We've been focusing on Genoa for a few days but a lot of things are unclear because they have a new coach. It looks like they're going to play out from the back so it will be quite a contest as we like to play the same way. They have good individuals and they're a solid side. They won't be easy to beat and I expect they'll have improved since their game against Cagliari. We must focus on what we have to do ourselves without thinking too much about our opponents."
Runjaic also provided an update on the situation in defence, with Jaka Bijol set to miss his first game of the season through suspension.
“[Thomas] Kristensen is ready. He's been in full training with the team for three weeks and he's in my thoughts for this game. Bijol won't be involved. He's played every game but when you pick up yellow cards sooner or later you get suspended and that's more of a risk for centre-backs. In any case, we have good alternatives who can step in – [Christian] Kabasele, [Lautaro] Giannetti, besides Kristensen, although his last game was against Roma two months ago so I need to decide whether to bring him in from the start or off the bench. It also depends on how many defenders we decide to go with.”