Lazio will be looking to build on their victory on the opening weekend as they travel to Udinese on Saturday. The capital club looked sharp and given their fine record at Bluenergy Stadium, should have the upper hand over Udinese.
Udinese head into Saturday’s clash off the back of a 1-1 draw with Bologna in their opening Serie A fixture. They fought back from a goal down with Lautaro Gianetti's second half strike earning them a share of the spoils.
Manager Kosta Runjaic will be pleased with Udinese’s fightback as they are now unbeaten in their opening two competitive matches this season. They will look to take inspiration from their 4-0 home victory over Avellino in the Coppa Italia.
Lazio were impressive in their opening fixture as they claimed a 3-1 victory over Venezia. They fought back from a goal down with Valentin Castellanos and Mattia Zaccagni giving them the lead before Giorgio Altare’s own goal sealed the win.
While the character to come from behind will be pleasing to manager Marco Baroni, there may be a small concern that they conceded first. Their attacking play was also impressive with Castellanos and Zaccagni already holding the fort following the departure of Ciro Immobile.
How the bookies view it: Advantage Lazio
Lazio have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 7/5 by Betfred to claim the win. Udinese are considered outsiders with a home win priced against 21/10 by Betfred, who is also offering 21/10 by Betfred.
Head to head: Lazio dominant in Udine
Lazio have a 35-14 advantage with 15 draws from 64 previous matches against Udinese. The capital club are also unbeaten in the last four matches at Bluenergy Stadium, claiming three wins in that run, including a 2-1 victory last season.
Players to watch: Castellanos to maintain heat
Castellanos showed he may be ready to step into the shoes of Immobile having got on the score sheet last time out. The striker could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime on Saturday at 6/4 with Betfred.
Lorenzo Lucca failed to build on his goal in the Coppa Italia as he had a quiet outing in last weekend’s opener. The forward was also on target in the last meeting with Lazio and is priced at 13/5 to find the net on Saturday.
Probable line-ups
Gérard Deulofeu remains sidelined with injury and is expected to miss out for Udinese. Lorenzo Lucca is expected to feature in attack alongside Brenner while Jaka Bijol is expected to start at the back.
Matias Vecino came off the bench for Lazio last time out and could be pushing for a start in midfield on Saturday. Castellanos and Zaccagni are also expected to retain their place in attack.
Udinese: Okoye, Perez, Bijol, Gianetti, Ehizibue, Lovric, Karlstrom, Kamara, Thauvin, Brenner, Lucca
Lazio: Provedel, Marusic, Romagnoli, Casale, Lazzari, Dele-Bashiru, Vecino, Guendouzi, Zaccagni, Noslin, Castellanos
Anything else catch the eye?
There were over 3.5 goals in Lazio’s previous fixture and a similar outcome is priced at 10/3 by Betfred. Over 2.5 goals is valued at 5/4 by Betfred, who is also offering odds of 4/5 on both teams to score.
With Lazio expected to claim the upper hand on Saturday, they could be backed to score first at 10/11 with Betfred.
This Serie A match between Udinese and Lazio will be played on Aug 24, 2024 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Udinese vs Lazio prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
