Udinese vs Fiorentina

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Udinese, who are still in search of their maiden Serie A victory this season, will play host to Fiorentina at the Dacia Arena this Sunday afternoon.

Udinese's quest for a league win has persisted since their early August Coppa Italia triumph, and on the other hand, Fiorentina has been grappling with its typical inconsistency, recording two wins, two draws, and one loss in various competitions.

Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano made substantial alterations to the lineup that secured a league win over Atalanta the previous week. In their Europa Conference League opener against Genk, Italiano's squad twice held the lead but ultimately could not secure a victory.

The Viola managed to claw back from a deficit to defeat Atalanta 3-2 at Stadio Franchi, with Christian Kouame netting the decisive goal. However, in Belgium, they had to settle for a 2-2 draw, thanks to an unexpected brace from Luca Ranieri. In fact, they narrowly escaped a late scare when Genk hit the post in the dying moments of the match. It was a far from convincing performance from a team considered among the favorites in the competition.

Nevertheless, Fiorentina still has five fixtures left in Group F of the Europa Conference League, and their primary goal is to surpass last season's runner-up finish to West Ham United.

If they manage to secure a domestic victory now, accumulating 10 points in total, it would be their best start after five games since 2015. Despite Italiano leading his team to a 2-0 victory in their recent encounter with Udinese, Fiorentina has suffered three losses in their last five league matches against the Fruilani, which equals the number of defeats in the prior 18 matches, of which they won 11.

Udinese has recorded draws in each of their last three league matches, facing Salernitana, Cagliari, and Frosinone, all of which were newly promoted teams. Interestingly, each of their last six Serie A meetings with Fiorentina has produced a decisive outcome.

There have been three wins for each side since a goalless draw in March 2020, and Udinese is now counting on their home advantage to exploit Fiorentina's fatigue following their midweek trip to Belgium.

Since the beginning of the 2021-22 season, Udinese has recorded more draws than any other club in Europe's top five leagues, with 30 draws out of 80 matches during that period. Their recent draw against Cagliari was particularly frustrating. Having scored only one goal so far this season, following the departure of their star striker Beto to Everton, Udinese has failed to score in their last four home games in Serie A.

This presents a clear challenge for coach Andrea Sottil, who will face his son, Fiorentina winger Riccardo Sottil, in this upcoming match. Vincenzo Italiano is likely to make squad rotations again, especially considering their packed schedule and an upcoming midweek trip to Frosinone.

Lucas Beltran may make way for M'Bala Nzola up front, as Nzola scored a brace for Spezia in his last visit to Udine in February of the previous year. While Italiano now has the option to include summer signing Maxime Lopez in Serie A after serving a two-match suspension, he might start on the bench.

Udinese has endured three consecutive draws, with the last two ending in goalless stalemates. Remarkably, they have failed to score in their last four home Serie A matches, losing three of them. Their injury list is quite long, with Christian Kabasele and Enzo Ebosse joining the list of absentees last week.

Fiorentina is uncertain about the fitness of Nicolás González, who suffered a muscle strain during the Conference League match against Genk. Udinese has scored just one goal in four league games this season but has maintained a solid defensive record, conceding only four goals in that period. In contrast, Fiorentina has both scored and conceded nine goals in four league games. Notably, ten of the last 12 meetings between these teams have seen fewer than 2.5 goals.

The clash between Udinese and Fiorentina at the Dacia Arena is expected to be a closely contested Serie A match. Udinese has drawn its last three league matches and is likely to stick to their defensive style of play against Fiorentina. Christian Kabasele is a major doubt due to an injury sustained in a goalless draw with Cagliari, while several players, including Brenner, Masina, Deulofeu, and Ehizibue, are still recovering from injuries.

On the other hand, Fiorentina managed to stage a comeback and defeat Atalanta in their last Serie A outing, but securing a victory against Udinese on the road is no small feat. Considering all factors, it's expected that these two teams will share the points in this Serie A encounter. Both Yerry Mina and Gaetano Castrovilli are sidelined with injuries for the visiting side, while Christian Kouame is likely to return to the starting lineup after his winning goal against Atalanta.

Since losing to Juventus 3-0 at home to open the season, the hosts have gone undefeated in the league, drawing three straight games. They were held to a scoreless draw by Udinese in their previous game. They currently hold the 16th spot in the league standings with three points from four games.

With two victories in four games, the guests have performed better than the hosts thus far in the league. They won their second straight game last Sunday, defeating Atalanta 3-2 at home thanks to goals from Giacomo Bonaventura, Lucas Martnez Quarta, and Christian Kouamé.

They began play in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday, drawing 2-2, with defender Luca Ranieri scoring a brace in the first half.