Juventus travel to Udinese for a Serie A fixture on Saturday as they look to snap out of a mini slump. The Turin club appear to have lost their way lately, especially at the back and with Udinese also unconvincing defensively, an open contest could be in the cards.
Juventus are coming off a 3-2 defeat to Venezia in their previous Serie A fixture. They raced to an early two-goal lead through Sandi Lovric and Iker Bravo but soon suffered a defensive capitulation.
Manager Kosta Runjaic will be disappointed with his team’s defending and will be keen to set things right on Saturday. Udinese have been solid at Bluenergy Stadium this season, winning six of their seven home matches across all competitions.
Things appear to have gone awry for Juventus in recent weeks as they have picked up just one win in their last five matches. Thiago Motta’s men have still only lost once this season but have been plagued by too many draws having been held six times already.
One of those draws came in their midweek fixture as Juventus fought back from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw with Parma. The major problem for the Turin club is that they appear to have lost their early season defensive solidity, conceding seven goals in their last three matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it: Juventus still favourites
Despite their recent struggles, Juventus are still considered favourites among the bookies with a win priced at evens by Betfred. A victory for Udinese is valued at 16/5 by Betfred, who is also offering odds of 11/5 for a draw.
Recent head to head: Juventus on top
Juventus have won four of the last five matches against Udinese, including a 3-0 victory at Bluenergy Stadium last season. However, Udinese claimed a 1-0 victory at Allianz Stadium in the most recent meeting back in February.
Players to watch: Eyes on Vlahovic
Dusan Vlahovic has been a prolific outlet for Juventus this season, scoring six goals in 10 Serie A matches so far. The striker was also on target at Bluenergy Stadium last season and is priced at 7/4 with Betfred to find the net once again.
Lorenzo Lucca is also having a good season for Udinese, scoring four Serie A goals so far. The striker could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 4/1 with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Gérard Deulofeu, Alexis Sanchez and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp remain sidelined for Udinese while Isaak Toure is suspended. Jordan Zemura is pushing for a start after coming off the bench last time out while Lucca is set to continue in attack.
Kenan Yildiz was a second half substitute for Juventus in midweek and should return to the starting line-up. Teun Koopmeiners is also pushing for a start in midfield while Vlahovic should lead the line once again.
Udinese: Okoye, Ehizibue, Gianetti, Bijol, Zemura, Lovric, Karlstrom, Payero, Thauvin, Bravo, Lucca.
Juventus: Di Gregori, Savona, Danilo, Gatti, Cambiaso, Locatelli, Thuram, Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz, Vlahovic
Anything else catch the eye?
Udinese and Juventus each saw over 3.5 goals in their respective midweek fixtures and could be set for a repeat at 100/30 by Betfred. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 11/8 with Betfred, who is also offering odds of 11/10 on both teams to score.
There have been a number of late showings in Udinese’s home matches this season, so the second half could be tipped to produce more goals at 6/5 with Betfred.
This Serie A match between Udinese and Juventus will be played on Nov 2, 2024 and kick off at 18:00. Check below for our tipsters best Udinese vs Juventus prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
