Udinese and Roma have faced each other 101 times, with the Giallorossi holding the upper hand with 54 victories, 23 losses and 24 draws. The most frequent result between the two teams is 1-1, which last occurred on 13 March 2022. The most recent encounter at Bluenergy Stadium dates back to 25 April 2024 (the final 18 minutes of the match which had been suspended on 14 April due to Evan Ndicka’s medical emergency), which ended in a 2-1 victory for Roma. This remains their last away win in Serie A. The reverse fixture this season, held at the Stadio Olimpico, finished 3-0 to Roma.
Udinese have scored 33% of their goals from headers (eight out of 24), the highest percentage in Serie A, and they have conceded none in this fashion. Five of these headers have been netted by Lorenzo Lucca, who has a total of seven goals – the same tally as his opposite number for the day, Artem Dovbyk, who, however, has not scored any headers. Both teams have scored five goals from outside the box – only Atalanta have more on eight – and have struck the woodwork 11 times, fewer than only Atalanta and Cagliari. Additionally, both sides have had 13 different players find the net in this league campaign.
By stepping on to the pitch on Sunday, Alexis Sanchez will reach 100 Serie A appearances in an Udinese shirt (he was already on 95 when he left the club in 2011). His team-mate Florian Thauvin, meanwhile, will face a side he scored against on 26 November 2023 in a 3-1 loss at the Olimpico – assisted by Martín Payero, his first career assist. Similarly, Sandi Lovric converted against Roma in a 4-0 win at Bluenergy Stadium on 4 September 2022. This will be the first-ever managerial meeting between Kosta Runjaic and Claudio Ranieri. In the reverse fixture, Udinese’s coach faced Ivan Juric, who was in charge at the time.