Serving the first match of a two-game partial stadium closure, Serie A strugglers Udinese host mid-table Monza on Saturday.

Following racist chanting in last month's fixture against AC Milan, the Bianconeri's Curva Nord will be silent when their Lombardy counterparts come to town this weekend.

Match preview

Still without an away win since November, following last week's loss at Atalanta BC, Udinese have tasted Serie A success just twice this term and are embroiled in a multi-club dogfight to avoid the drop.

Demotion from Italy's top flight is a real concern for the Friuli club, who have won only one of their last 11 league matches - losing five and drawing five - and are outside the relegation zone by virtue of goal difference.

Head coach Gabriele Cioffi is under pressure to find a means of keeping the back door shut, as his side continue to be picked off by more canny opponents up and down the Italian peninsula.

Not only have Udinese conceded the joint-most goals during the last 15 minutes of play this season, but they have also shipped 13 from set pieces - including seven from the penalty spot. Furthermore, only rock-bottom Salernitana have conceded more in home matches.

After a section of their support racially abused Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan in a recent 3-2 defeat, the Bianconeri must now tackle Monza without the backing of several thousand absent fans - an appeal against full stadium closure was upheld this week.

Across three previous meetings - including October's reverse fixture, a 2-2 draw - Monza are yet to get the better of Udinese since joining Serie A for the first time in 2022.

Given their hosts' predicament, the Biancorossi may fancy ending that drought on Saturday afternoon, having just posted a win over Sassuolo that put them back on track following a run of five defeats from eight league games.

Such a sequence had seen Monza slide down the standings and into the bottom half, after initially showing signs of building on last year's fine top-flight debut, but Raffaele Palladino's men are still 10 points clear of Udinese.

They will now be looking to win back-to-back league matches for just a second time this season, having previously done so back in October, and attacking talisman Andrea Colpani could hold the key to victory in Udine.

With his decisive strike against Sassuolo, the former Italy Under-21 international became the first Monza player to score seven goals in a Serie A season, overtaking the tally of six goals posted by Patrick Ciurria and Carlos Augusto last term.

Team News

Udinese's injury list is far shorter than at any time for several months, but Gabriele Cioffi must still make do without the injured Jaka Bijol, Enzo Ebosse and Gerard Deulofeu this weekend.

Adam Masina and Simone Pafundi have departed during the transfer window, but recent signing Lautaro Giannetti could again feature on the bench; former first-choice goalkeeper Marco Silvestri should join him, having being overtaken in the pecking order by Maduka Okoye.

Five of Lorenzo Lucca's six Serie A strikes this term have been scored in home matches, including each of his last four - and the striker's only away goal arrived in Monza last October.

Meanwhile, Udinese are Monza playmaker Andrea Colpani's favourite opponent, with three goals in three previous games against the Bianconeri.

The visitors are still missing Gianluca Caprari and Samuele Vignato due to injury, but the arrivals of Daniel Maldini and Milan Djuric have bolstered their front line.

Midfielder Jose Machin returns from a spell at the Africa Cup of Nations with Equatorial Guinea, while Roberto Gagliardini could be back in the starting XI after missing last week's loss with an ankle problem.

Udinese possible starting lineup:
Okoye; Ferreira, Perez, Kristensen; Ehizibue, Lovric, Walace, Samardzic, Kamara; Pereyra; Lucca

Monza possible starting lineup:
Di Gregorio; D'Ambrosio, Mari, Caldirola; Birindelli, Gagliardini, Pessina, Ciurria; Colpani, Mota; Djuric

We say: Udinese 1-0 Monza

A second home win of the Serie A season may finally be afoot for Udinese, who have had trouble hanging onto leads throughout a testing campaign. Monza often struggle to score on the road, so one goal could decide the points' destiny.


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