Udinese and Fiorentina are ready to pit their wits against each other in Serie A Matchday 5. The two clubs have met 94 times in Italy’s top flight, with Udinese winning 23, drawing 27 and losing 44 of these games. However, in the last five clashes Udinese have won three times – more than in the previous 18 encounters. Playing at home has always been a strong advantage for Udinese in this fixture, having beaten Fiorentina 17 times in 47 matches on their turf. Only against Atalanta (20) and Sampdoria (19) have Udinese won more home games.
So far Fiorentina have shown themselves to have a weak defence – they have conceded nine goals in 2023/24, the second worst figure behind bottom-placed Empoli. Udinese must take advantage of the opportunities that come their way to boost their current goal tally for the league season, which stands at just one.
The last eight Udinese goals in Serie A were scored by eight different players. It’s a sign that, if the team gets into the right gear, anyone can pose a threat. Andrea Sottil’s players are short on luck, but some timely and decisive dribbles could be the key to breaking the deadlock. Lazar Samardzic and Florian Thauvin have completed eight and six respectively in the first few games of the season, which places them first and third in the midfielders ranking.
Sunday's match will be the third Serie A match between Andrea Sottil and Vincenzo Italiano, albeit with the first two being friendly matches. The coaches achieved one win apiece. The Viola midfielders Rolando Mandragora and Antonin Barak represented Udinese in days gone by. The former played 71 games in Serie A for the club between 2018 and 2021, scoring three goals and providing four assists. As for the latter, who made his Serie A debut with Udinese, he featured in 50 matches played between 2017 and 2021, netting seven goals and laying on four assists.