Inter Milan will be hoping to keep alive their slim hopes of qualifying for Europe on Tuesday evening when they travel to Udinese.
The Nerazzurri claimed a morale-boosting victory over Roma at the weekend, while Udinese were also back to winning ways as they earned a 2-1 success over AC Milan.
Udinese
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A season that promised so much for Udinese looks to be ending in disappointment and they are heading for a second consecutive finish in the bottom half of the Serie A table.
They had won four of their opening five league matches to spark talk of a return to Europe, but since October only five wins have followed and it has seen them slip down to 13th, which is the position that they finished last season.
The Bianconeri did give their fans something to cheer about at the weekend, as they claimed a 2-1 victory over AC Milan to bring an end to their six-game winless run.
Even though they have never seemed to be in any real danger of being relegated, that result has moved them 14 points clear of the bottom three and has slightly eased the pressure on manager Andrea Stramaccioni.
One of their major problems this season has been a lack of goals and they have scored 36 in the league this season, with only five teams finding the net less often.
Veteran striker Antonio Di Natale has once again been their top scorer and if he finds the net against Inter, then he will level Roberto Baggio's record of 205 goals in Serie A and move up to sixth in the all-time standings.
Recent form: DDLLDW
Inter Milan
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Inter Milan have had a frustrating season, but they achieved one of their best results at the weekend by claiming a 2-1 win over third-placed Roma.
Mauro Icardi scored the winner with two minutes remaining after Radja Nainggolan had cancelled out a strike from Hernanes to revive the Nerazzurri's fading hopes of qualifying for the Europa League.
That win has lifted them up to ninth in the table and they are now just four points away from sixth-placed Fiorentina, who have suffered a dip in form and have lost their previous two league games.
Roberto Mancini and his players won't be getting too carried away by their recent displays, as they have been largely inconsistent and have not been able to win more than three successive league matches all season.
However, when they are playing at their best they are a force to be reckoned with and only Juventus, Lazio and Napoli have scored more goals than they have in Serie A this season.
Recent form in Serie A: DLDWDW
Recent form (all competitions): LLDWDW
Team News
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Udinese defenders Thomas Heurtaux and Molla Wague will once again be forced to miss out through injury.
However, Bruno Fernandes is back from suspension and could return to the attack alongside Cyril Thereau and Di Natale
Meanwhile, Andrea Ranocchia and Juan Jesus are both suspended for Inter, so Felipe and Yuto Nagatomo will be expected to take their places in the defence.
Rodrigo Palacio and Icardi should start up front for Inter, with Lukas Podolski and Xherdan Shaqiri both having to settle for a place on the bench once again.
Udinese possible starting lineup:
Karnezis, Piris, Danilo, Bubnjic, Silva, Guilherme, Allan, Pinzi, Fernandes, Thereau, Di Natale
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Handanovic, Santon, Felipe, Vidic, Nagatomo, Guarin, Medel, Brozovic, Hernanes, Icardi, Palacio
Head To Head
Udinese came out on top when these clubs met earlier this season, as they came from behind to claim a 2-1 win against Inter at San Siro.
The Bianconeri are something of a bogey team for Inter and they have won six of their last nine matches against the Milan giants.
There are usually plenty of goals whenever these teams meet each other and two years ago Udinese earned a remarkable 5-2 win on the last day of the season that helped to book their place in the Europa League.
We say: Udinese 1-2 Inter Milan
Inter produced a good display to beat Roma, but Udinese will be buoyed by their own win against Milan. The visitors may not have the best recent record against their opponents, but with a place in Europe still up for grabs, we think that they will end up claiming the points at the Stadio Friuli.
Alex Meyers
