Roma vs Udinese

Roma will be desperate to return to winning ways when they meet perennial Serie A bottom-half strugglers Udinese at the Stadio Olimpico.

In a true ‘Jose Mourinho’ style, Roma held arch-rivals to a tepid 0-0 draw in the Derby della Capitale before the international break despite attempting just one shot on target. In addition to making it three capital derbies without scoring in a row, ‘I Giallorossi’ sent a wrong message after a dismal 2-0 Europa League defeat to Slavia Prague. An indifferent three-game league form can’t inspire much confidence either (W1, D1, L1), which makes people wonder how it’s possible that they commence this round only three points adrift of fourth-placed Napoli. Stadio Olimpico would be the answer, as Mourinho’s men have won four consecutive home league outings since a two-match winless start. Bringing other competitions into the equation, they’ve won their last six home matches, five of which without conceding.

Meanwhile, Udinese were minutes away from posting back-to-back Serie A wins following a shock 1-0 triumph at AC Milan on their last trip before Ederson’s stoppage-time header salvaged a 1-1 draw for Atalanta. That victory at the San Siro remains Udinese’s only triumph in 12 league matches this season, so it’s barely surprising that they start this round only two points clear of the bottom three. Gabriele Cioffi’s men have established themselves as ‘stalemate kings’ as eight of their Serie A games in 2023/24 have ended as a draw! By contrast, none of their last 15 top-flight visits to Roma have finished level (W2, L13), suggesting the ‘Friulians’ would probably settle for another share of the spoils. The fact they’ve not conceded more than once in their last five league outings can spring more confidence.