Udinese vs AS Roma Italian Serie A 06-01-2015

Udinese vs AS Roma
Competition: Italian Serie A
Match date: Tuesday, 6 January 2015
Kick Off Time: 11:30 GMT
Venue: Stadio Communale Friuli, Udine, Italy

Udinese team have been one of the harder teams to predict this season. With 6 wins, 4 draws, and 6 defeats through 16 Serie A matches, their inconsistency has made them a headache for bettors and tipsters alike. For example, they have picked up massive wins over SSC Napoli, Lazio Rome, and Inter while at the same time falling in shocking  defeat to lower-tier clubs like Torino and Hellas Verona. While their home form has been solid this season with 14 points through 8 league games, they have taken just 1 point from their last 3 as hosts. While ever-reliable Antonio Di Natalie scored on all 3 of those occasions, it wasn’t enough as the defence conceded 7 total goals through that stretch. The diminutive Italian is always a threat when on the field, and he now has 8 goals in the Italian Serie A this season – good for 2nd place in the top scorers chart (tied with 3 others). However, he has been held safely in check by Roma in their last 3 league meetings, and if the hosts hope to stand any chance of the upset this midweek, Di Natalie must impose his will on the stern Giallorossi defense.

AS Roma enter the new year at 3 points adrift the league-leading and reigning champion, Juventus FC. The title race was always going to come down to the 2 Italian heavyweights, and AS Roma can do themselves a big favor here with a tough road win. They did conquer the Zebrette last season in both league meetings, but neither win came easy for Roma, as they barely held on at home and required a late second-half goal to claim all of the spoils at the Stadio Friuli. Furthermore, they possibly face some worrying absences this midweek, with Francesco Totti looking very likely to miss while it is uncertain if Mattia Destro will make it back in time. Coupled with the loss of Gervinho and Seydou Keita to the Africa Cup of Nations, their roster will be seriously depleted this Tuesday. However, they will return both Davide Astori and Miralem Pjanic from suspension, and their midfield and defence will once again be loaded with quality and talent. 

Probable lineups:

AS Roma: De Sanctis – Maicon, Manolas, Astori, Holebas – Pjanic, de Rossi, Nainggolan – Iturbe, Destro, Ljajic.

Udinese: Karnezis – Wague, Danilo, Bubnjic – Widmer, Allan, Guilherme, Pasquale – Kone, Fernandes – Di Natale.

You can watch the match here: Link 1 , Link 2 [Live Scores]

Categories: Italian Serie A