The new Italian Serie A season kicks off this weekend this weekend with champions AC Milan facing Udinese on Saturday. Both teams could not be separated last season but given Milan's fine showing in preseason, they are likely to get their title defence off to a good start.
AC Milan capped off their resurgence in recent years by claiming the Serie A title ahead of local rivals Inter Milan last season. That triumph ended a 11-year wait for the Scudetto.
There have been few changes at Milan this summer with midfielder Franck Kessie the only major departure. Manager Stefano Pioli has kept a bulk of his key players, adding the Belgian duo of Divock Origi and Charles de Ketelaere to the squad.
Preseason went smoothly for AC Milan as they claimed four wins from five friendly matches. Their last fixture was a 6-1 victory over lower league side Vicenza with Ante Rebic and Rafael Leao both on target.
Udinese were one of the tricky sides in Serie A last season as they proved a tough nut to crack for some of the top sides. They avoided defeat in two matches against Milan last season but eventually finished in the bottom half of the table.
It has been a busy summer for Udinese, bringing in the likes of Nehuen Perez, Adam Masina and Sandi Lovric. However, the biggest piece of business for manager Andrea Sottil appears to be holding on to key players Beto and Gerard Deulofeu.
Udinese’s campaign last season was plagued by inconsistency as a result against a big team was usually followed by an unexpected defeat. That unpredictability appeared to creep into preseason as they claimed three wins from six friendly matches.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have AC Milan as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 5/12 by SBK. A victory for Udinese is valued at 8/1 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 18/5 by 10bet.
Recent head to head
AC Milan are unbeaten in the last five matches against Udinese, although they have only claimed two wins in that run. The last three fixtures have ended in draws including 1-1 scorelines in the two meetings last season.
Players to watch
Olivier Giroud played a pivotal role in AC Milan’s title win last season, scoring 11 goals in Serie A. The French striker will be looking to hit the ground running this term and could be backed to score on Saturday at 23/20 with Betfred.
Gerard Deulofeu is once again expected to play a pivotal role for Udinese this season having scored 13 Serie A goals last term. Unibet has the Spanish forward at odds of 21/4 to get on the score sheet at the San Siro.
Anything else catch the eye?
AC Milan and Udinese have scored in their last three meetings and Saturday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 21/20 by Unibet. The Rossoneri can also be backed to score in both halves at 6/5 with bet365.
With a straight AC Milan victory valued at minimal odds, a win and over 2.5 goals can be considered at 11/10 with bet365.
This Serie A match between AC Milan and Udinese will be played on Aug 13, 2022 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best AC Milan vs Udinese prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
