Udinese vs Empoli

Udinese accepts Empoli at their home ground to achieve their goal of finishing in the top table positions while trying to avoid encountering Empoli in the relegation zone.

Last week the Friulani brought Napoli to a standstill as they played out a draw while Empoli faced their fourth defeat in five games.

Udinese demonstrated their worth to earn a draw against Napoli at Stadio Maradona last weekend when they successfully defended against their Italian rivals.

After numerous missed opportunities by the Friulani, Scott McTominay managed to score first, yet Jurgen Ekkelenkamp produced an extraordinary equalizer that tied the match in Naples.

The current four league draws in Kosta Runjaic's recent seven matches equal his team's performance in the entire preceding period of 21 games while maintaining their Serie A position at tenth place.

Udinese managed to maintain draw results against Bologna and Atalanta BC this season along with victories against Fiorentina and Lazio after escaping relegation just a short time earlier.

The Bianconeri have maintained their undefeated streak against Empoli while conceding victory only twice in their 15 home matches against this opponent. Udinese has doubled up their total goal count against Empoli since their Tuscan rivals started the season.

The November reverse fixture ended with a 1-1 tie wherein Keinan Davis kept Empoli from securing all points while the two teams have shared the spoils in all their previous three league contests.

The Azzurri remained without a victory from 2025 despite being in position to secure one point from their recent 10-man AC Milan match before Luca Marianucci received an unjustified red card.
Empoli has earned the least points from their last nine fixtures which puts them at dangerous position just outside the relegation zone.

Serious second-half problems must be at the top of Roberto D'Aversa's list of worries because his team is the only one that hasn't scored in the last 30 minutes of the season and has dropped the most goals (14) from goals given up in that time.

The end of February will be especially difficult for the Tuscan team. They will host Atalanta and then play Juventus in the Coppa Italia quarterfinals after traveling the long way north to Udine.

How Kosta Runjaic will position Udinese on Sunday is still up in the air after he changed his strategy to pair Florian Thauvin and Lorenzo Lucca in a 4-4-2 victory last weekend.

To reach double figures for the first time in a single Serie A season, Lucca needs one more goal; Alexis Sanchez and Thauvin will once again try to help him.

Sebastiano Esposito has started up front and has now scored seven of his eight league goals away from home. He just has to score one more goal to tie Empoli's record for the most goals scored on the road in a single Serie A season.