Udinese welcome AC Milan to the Bluenergy Stadium for an Italian Serie A clash. Both teams have looked shaky at the back lately and could be set for an open contest.
The hosts head into this game after a 1-0 Serie A defeat to Genoa, marking their third straight loss and extending their winless run to four matches. This poor spell has seen them slip to 11th in the table, ending their slim hopes of European qualification.
Although things look rough at the moment, there are still some positives for Udinese, who have won three of their last four Serie A matches. However, Kosta Runjaic's men were beaten 1-0 by Verona in their previous fixture at the Bluenergy Stadium.
AC Milan were held to a hard-fought 2-2 home draw with Fiorentina last time out in Serie A, showing resilience to fight back from a two-goal deficit. However, the result maintains their recent poor run, with just two wins in their last seven league games and four defeats during that stretch.
This dip in form has dealt a blow to their European qualification hopes, as they are now seven points off the final European spot. While their attacking output has remained consistent, scoring in their last seven matches, a leaky defence continues to undermine their efforts, with Sergio Conceicao’s men failing to keep a clean sheet in all seven fixtures.
How the bookies view it: Rossoneri highly fancied
AC Milan have been installed as overwhelming favourites by the bookies with BoyleSports offering 20/23 for an away win. A victory for Udinese is priced at 13/5 while a draw has been set at 12/5 by BoyleSports.
Head to head: AC Milan on top
AC Milan have a 32-18 advantage, with 17 draws from 67 previous matches against Udinese. The hosts have also won the last two meetings and picked up a 1-0 home victory in the reverse fixture.
Players to watch: Reliable Pulisic
Christian Pulisic is AC Milan’s leading scorer this season with 15 goals across all competitions. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime on Friday at 39/20 by BoyleSports.
Lorenzo Lucca has 10 Serie A goals this season and will be the one to watch for Udinese. The striker is priced at odds of 9/4 by BoyleSports to get on the score sheet on Friday.
Probable line-ups
Udinese will be without Keinan Davis, Florian Thauvin, Razvan Sava, Alexis Sanchez, Jordan Zemura and Isaak Toure due to various injuries. However, Lorenzo Lucca, Jurgen Ekkelenkamp and Iker Bravo should retain their places in the starting line-up.
Santiago Gimenez, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Emerson Royal are unavailable for AC Milan due to injury. However, Rafeal Leao, Reijnders and Pulisic are expected to start.
Udinese: Okoye, Ehizubue, Bijol, Solet, Kamara, Atta, Zarraga, Karlstrom, Ekkelenkamp, Lucca, Bravo
AC Milan: Maignan, Walker, Tomori, Thiaw, Hernandez, Fofana Musah, Leao, Reijnders, Pulisic, Jovic
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in eight of the last 10 matches between Udinese and AC Milan and a repeat is priced at 8/13 with BoyleSports. The Rossoneri's last seven Serie A matches have produced over 2.5 goals and a similar outcome is priced at 3/4 on BoyleSports, who are also offering odds of 19/10 for over 3.5 goals.
AC Milan's last seven Serie A matches have had goals in each half and a repeat is expected at 8/11 with BoyleSports.
This Serie A match between Udinese and AC Milan will be played on and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Udinese vs AC Milan prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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