Napoli vs Udinese prediction, preview, team news and more

The Serie A is back in action with another round of matches this weekend as Napoli take on Udinese at the Stadio San Paolo on Tuesday. Napoli have been impressive in recent weeks and hold the upper hand going into this game.

Udinese are in 11th place in the Serie A standings at the moment and have been fairly inconsistent this season. The Friuliani suffered a 2-1 defeat against Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus last weekend and have a point to prove in this fixture.

Napoli, on the other hand, have been sensational in recent weeks and currently find themselves in second place in the Serie A standings. The Neapolitans thrashed Spezia by a 4-1 margin in their previous game and will be confident ahead of this match.

Napoli vs Udinese Head-to-Head

Napoli have a good record against Udinese and have won 16 games out of a total of 29 matches played between the two teams. Udinese have managed only five victories against Napoli and need to improve their record in this fixture.

The previous game between the two Italian sides took place in January earlier this year and ended in a narrow 2-1 victory for Napoli. Udinese gave a good account of themselves on the day but will need to take it up a notch this week.

Napoli form guide in the Serie A: W-D-W-W-D

Udinese form guide in the Serie A: D-L-W-L-W

Also Read: 10 Greatest Football Managers of all time

Napoli vs Udinese Team News

Napoli

Dries Mertens sustained an ankle injury against Spezia and is unlikely to be risked in this fixture. Kalidou Koulibaly, Nikola Maksimovic, Faouzi Ghoulam, and David Ospina are also unavailable and will be excluded from the Napoli squad.

Injured: Dries Mertens, Kalidou Koulibaly, Faouzi Ghoulam, David Ospina, Nikola Maksimovic

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Udinese

Udinese have several injuries to account for at the moment and will have to do without Gerard Deulofeu, Mato Jajalo, Jayden Braaf, Ilija Nestorovski, and Ignacio Pussetto going into this game.

Injured: Gerard Deulofeu, Mato Jajalo, Jayden Braaf, Ilija Nestorovski, Ignacio Pussetto

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Napoli vs Udinese Predicted XI

Napoli Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Alex Meret; Mario Rui, Amir Rrahmani, Kostas Manolas, Giovanni Di Lorenzo; Tiemoue Bakayoko, Fabian Ruiz; Lorenzo Insigne, Piotr Zielinski, Hirving Lozano; Victor Osimhen

Udinese Predicted XI (3-5-2): Juan Musso; Kevin Bonifasi, Bram Nuytinck, Rodrigo Becao; Jens Stryger Larsen, Nahuel Molina, Walace, Tolgay Arslan, Rodrigo de Paul; Roberto Pereyra, Stefano Okaka

Napoli vs Udinese Prediction

Napoli have been a resurgent force in the Serie A over the past month and will be intent on a top-four finish this season. Gennaro Gattuso's side has excellent players in its ranks and has a point to prove going into this game.

Udinese have blown hot and cold this season and have relied heavily on the likes of Roberto Pereyra and Rodrigo de Paul. Napoli are the better team on paper and should be able to win this game.

Prediction: Napoli 2-1 Udinese

Also Read: Levante vs Barcelona prediction, preview, team news and more | La Liga 2020-21

About the author

Aditya is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda, covering previews, news, post-match articles and live blogs for 5 years. During his time here, he has had the privilege of covering a press meeting during the collaboration between his favorite club Bengaluru FC and Sevilla, where he got a chance to interact with Sevilla president Jose Castro and explore the grassroots development in his city.

Aditya started following the sport after being dazzled by Ronaldinho’s silky feet at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is a Barcelona fan and unsurprisingly, his favorite manager and players are Pep Guardiola and Andres Iniesta respectively. He admires the latter for his superhuman talent and his off-pitch demeanor, and his winning goal in Spain’s 2010 World Cup final win over the Netherlands left a lasting impact on Aditya.

The match-preview specialist believes that his ongoing five-year stint at Sportskeeda has given him the ability to identify the distinct line between emotional and fact-based articles, which separates him from other journalists. For him, fact-checking is the most integral part of his writing process and he only relies on authentic platforms for data.

Aditya is a semi-professional pianist and likes to participate in concerts and recitals when not immersed in football.

Know More

Edited by Aditya Hosangadi

Napoli vs Udinese prediction, preview, team news and more | Serie A 2020-21