Preview: Udinese vs Sassuolo - prediction, team news, lineups

Both beaten last week, mid-table clubs Udinese and Sassuolo will meet for Serie A's Sunday lunchtime kickoff.

Following back-to-back wins, the two sides were left empty-handed on matchday 24, so they will now seek an immediate response.

Match preview

After posting consecutive league wins for the first time since September, Udinese's success streak was brought to an abrupt halt by Lecce last weekend. 

A 3-1 away victory over Hellas Verona had lifted them into the top 10, and they consolidated that position by beating Roma in Udine, but Kosta Runjaic's side then lost to a late goal at Stadio Via del Mare.

Having clearly lacked bite, with potent front pair Keinan Davis and Nicolo Zaniolo both short of fitness, Lameck Banda's 90th-minute strike consigned the Bianconeri to a 2-1 defeat.

Nevertheless, they kept hold of ninth place - just ahead of crisis club Bologna - with a tally of 32 points leaving them on course for a safe mid-table finish.

So far this season, Udinese's home record reads four wins, four defeats and four draws, while they have only averaged one goal per match.

Still, the Friuli club are unbeaten in six home games against Sassuolo, who they lead by three points in the Serie A standings.

© Imago

Following their 3-1 victory in September's reverse fixture, Sassuolo will now seek a first top-flight win in Udine, which would haul them level on points with their hosts. 

The Neroverdi are also looking to bounce back from a chastening defeat to league leaders Inter Milan, who strolled to a 5-0 victory last Sunday.

Capping a miserable night at the Mapei Stadium, Nemanja Matic was dismissed for dissent as Inter ran riot, halting Sassuolo's recent revival.

The return of star man and skipper Domenico Berardi had previously inspired back-to-back wins over Cremonese and Pisa, but Fabio Grosso's side simply had no answer to the Scudetto favourites.

Now, last season's Serie B champions must head out on the road, having won just one of their last six away fixtures - they had taken 10 points from the previous four.

Udinese Serie A form:

W D L W W L

Sassuolo Serie A form:

L L L W W L

Team News

© Imago

Udinese are still missing first-choice frontman Davis and ACL victim Alessandro Zanoli, but Polish pair Adam Buksa and Jakub Piotrowski have resumed full training.

After his latest knee surgery, Zaniolo recently returned with a cameo appearance against former club Roma, before making another late appearance in Lecce, so he could now be ready to start.

As Hassane Kamara continues to struggle with a longstanding foot problem, Jordan Zemura should continue on the hosts' left flank.

Meanwhile, Sassuolo midfielder Matic has been handed a two-match ban for insulting the referee in last week's loss to Inter.

He must join long-term absentees Edoardo Pieragnolo and Fali Cande on the sidelines; it remains to be seen if Daniel Boloca can recover from a knee injury.

Up front, Berardi will support lone striker Andrea Pinamonti, who has previously found the net four times against Udinese but has not scored in Serie A since November.

Udinese possible starting lineup:

Okoye; Bertola, Kristensen, Solet; Ehizibue, Atta, Karlstrom, Ekkelenkamp, Zemura; Zaniolo; Bayo

Sassuolo possible starting lineup:

Muric; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Muharemovic, Doig; Thorstvedt, Lipani, Kone; Berardi, Pinamonti, Lauriente

We say: Udinese 2-1 Sassuolo

Although Udinese are far from prolific, they have proven relatively tough to beat on home soil, only losing a third of their league fixtures.

Meanwhile, Sassuolo's away form has nosedived, and they have leaked plenty of goals since the start of the year.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.