Udinese vs Hellas Verona

Sports Mole previews Monday’s Serie A clash between Udinese and Hellas Verona, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Monday evening marks the start of Udinese’s 31st straight Serie A campaign, as they play host to Hellas Verona.

After ending last season on a down note, the Fruilani recently passed their first test of this term in the Coppa Italia; meanwhile, Verona only scraped through on spot-kicks.

Match previewUdinese finished 12th in the Serie A standings for 2024-25, with their home loss to Fiorentina on the final matchday wrapping up a sub-par end to a previously promising campaign. 

Having moved well away from the relegation zone by March, the Friuli club then lost eight of their last 10 league matches and picked up just four more points.

Indeed, they claimed only one from their final five games in Udine, but an overall tally of 44 was still a big improvement on their last-ditch survival act of 2024. 

Entering his second season, head coach Kosta Runjaic will now target a place in Serie A’s top half, even if last term’s top scorer Lorenzo Lucca has left for Napoli. 

Runjaic has been able to inject some fresh blood – such as Scotland star Lennon Miller and ex-Empoli defender Saba Goglichidze – and his team finished with three straight wins in pre-season before beating Carrarese in the Coppa Italia.

Goals from Arthur Atta and Iker Bravo put Udinese through to round two, where they must soon meet Palermo; first, though, the Bianconeri will seek a first victory over Verona since October 2022.

While Monday’s hosts limped to the finish line in May, Verona only lost three of their last 10 games en route to avoiding relegation.

That run included a vital 1-0 win in Udine, and as a result of keeping themselves afloat, the Scaligeri can now look forward to a seventh consecutive Serie A season.

Hellas have only racked up eight straight campaigns once before – between 1982 and 1990, during which time they won their sole Scudetto – which reflects well on the current setup at Stadio Bentegodi.

One of the few coaches to keep his job during a sack-happy summer, Paolo Zanetti can now aim to push towards mid-table security in 2025-26.

His team’s first test of the season came away to Serie C minnows Audace Cerignola last Monday, and conceding a stoppage-time goal led to an embarrassing 1-1 draw.

Winning 4-2 on penalties then teed up a second round tie with regional rivals Venezia, but Zanetti will expect a sharper performance against Udinese. 

Udinese form (all competitions): W

Hellas Verona form (all competitions): W

Team News

Though Lorenzo Lucca, Jaka Bijol and Florian Thauvin have all departed, Udinese boss Kosta Runjaic can call upon several new signings – albeit he named a familiar-looking XI against Carrarese.

In attack, Iker Bravo will vie with veteran striker Alexis Sanchez to support Keinan Davis, while Brenner and Simone Pafundi are both set for the bench. 

Goalkeeper Maduka Okoye is currently serving a two-month ban for illegal betting – so Razvan Sava starts between the posts – and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp may join him on the sidelines with a muscular problem.

Meanwhile, Verona lost Diego Coppola and Jackson Tchatchoua to the Premier League this summer, but new boys Unai Nunez and Giovane could feature again after starting in the Coppa Italia.

Another recent arrival, Cameroon defender Enzo Ebosse will face a rapid reunion with his former club; only Nicolas Valentini (thigh) and Tomas Suslov (ACL) are absent through injury.

Udinese possible starting lineup: Sava; Palma, Solet, Kristensen; Ehizibue, Atta, Karlstrom, Lovric, Zemura; Bravo, Davis

Hellas Verona possible starting lineup: Montipo; Ebosse, Nunez, Frese; Oyegoke, Bernede, Serdar, Niasse, Bradaric; Giovane, Mosquera

We say: Udinese 2-1 Hellas VeronaThe hosts can end their winless run against Verona with a close-fought success on Serie A’s opening matchday.

Both sides have lost key players, but home advantage should help Udinese start their league season with maximum points.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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