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Udinese host Athletic Bilbao at the Stadio Friuli on Saturday for a club friendly as both teams prepare to resume their respective campaigns.
The Serie A outfit play another friendly post the 2022 FIFA World Cup against Lecce at home next Friday, looking to prepare for the resumption of the league on January 4.
Udinese have experienced a steep drop in form, and have not won in their last six games, drawing four of those. Le Aquile had won six games in a row earlier in the season to climb into the top four positions in the league standings, but have since dropped to eighth.
During the mid-season break, Andrea Sottil's team kept themselves busy with two friendlies - a 1-1 draw with Slovenian side Tabor Sezana followed by a 3-1 defeat against West Ham United.
Athletic Bilbao, meanwhile, went into the break sitting fourth in La Liga with 24 points from 14 games as the Basque Country outfit aims for its highest finish since the 2013-14 season.
Ernesto Valverde returned to manage Bilbao in the summer, five years after leaving the club for Barcelona, from where he was sacked in January 2020.
He's clearly worked his magic again, with Los Leones posting some big results this season so far, and have been preparing themselves for the second half of their campaign with a series of friendlies.
They beat Real Valladolid and then Mexican side Guadalajara in a pair of 2-0 wins, followed by a 3-0 defeat of Burgos on Thursday.
Udinese vs Athletic Bilbao Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- Athletic Bilbao and Udinese have met in a friendly once before which ended in a 3-0 win for the Lions in July 2008.
- Bilbao have won all three of their friendlies during this mid-season break, keeping a clean sheet in all of them.
- Udinese have failed to win their previous two friendlies.
- Le Aquile play two more club friendly games after this one against Lecce and Cremonese.
- This is Bilbao's final friendly before their Copa Del Rey clash with Sestao on Tuesday.
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Udinese vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction
Udinese haven't pulled up any trees during the mid-season break, although Athletic Bilbao look like they've approached every game seriously. We expect to see their winning run continue here.
Prediction: Udinese 1-2 Athletic Bilbao
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Udinese vs Athletic Bilbao Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Athletic Bilbao
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes
