Both aiming to end their long wait for a Serie A win, Monza and Udinese meet at U-Power Stadium on Monday.
While the Brianzoli have not tasted success since October and were turfed out of the cup in midweek, their visitors from Friuli have gone five games without a victory and are slipping down the standings.
Match preview
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After making numerous changes to his lineup on Tuesday evening, Monza coach Alessandro Nesta watched an unfamiliar XI getting picked apart by a recently revived Bologna side, conceding twice in each half to crash out of the Coppa Italia.
Two of the Brianza club's three wins all season have come in the cup, and with just one success in Serie A since Nesta took charge, time could be running out on his reign.
With only 10 points on the board so far, Monza are surely set for a season-long survival fight, having secured mid-table finishes in both previous top-flight campaigns since their groundbreaking promotion two years ago.
Though Gianluca Caprari's spot kick earned them a share of the spoils with local rivals and fellow strugglers Como last week, they have now won just one of their last 23 league matches and are stuck in a downward spiral.
Among teams still in Serie A, Monza have been waiting the longest for a home win - 11 matches - and they are also averaging below one goal per game this term.
The next strike will be the Biancorossi's 100th in Italy's top flight, and Nesta will be desperate for them to reach or even surpass that milestone on Monday evening.
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Six of the last seven league meetings between Monza and Udinese have ended all square, with the sole exception being an away win for the Friulani back in August 2022 - though Monza did prevail in a Coppa Italia tie later that year.
The visitors will head into this contest amid a miserable run of form, having lost four of their last five outings, including last week's 2-0 home defeat to Genoa, in which Isaak Toure was sent off after just four minutes.
That setback understandably changed the game, adding to the woes of head coach Kosta Runjaic, who has seen his team slide down the table in recent weeks, following an unexpectedly bright start to his time in charge.
A meagre tally of seven points from 10 games - having claimed 10 from their first four - has featured just one on the road, taken from last month's draw in Empoli.
Set to play reigning league champions Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia next week, Udinese first face two very different challenges in Serie A: Monday's trip to Monza and then a home game against high-flying Napoli.
Team News
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Having rotated his squad in midweek, Alessandro Nesta will revert to his strongest available starting XI, so top scorer Milan Djuric and defensive mainstay Pablo Mari should return on Monday evening.
Monza travelled to Bologna's Stadio Dall'Ara without injured quartet Roberto Gagliardini, Matteo Pessina, Alessio Cragno and Daniel Maldini, but the latter may be able to overcome a muscular issue in time to make the squad; Gianluca Caprari would deputise again in the Italy forward's absence.
Incidentally, Caprari has provided an assist in each of his last five Serie A starts against Udinese. Since such data collection began 20 years ago, no-one has managed a longer streak against one club - ex-Lazio midfielder Luis Alberto also racked up five versus Bologna.
Meanwhile, Udinese's longstanding formation is in some doubt ahead of their trip to Lombardy, after Kosta Runjaic switched to a four-man defence last week, when they were without suspended centre-back Jaka Bijol.
The early dismissal of Isaak Toure quickly undermined that experiment, and the French defender must now serve a one-match ban, joining injured duo Martin Payero and Alexis Sanchez on the sidelines.
The latter has yet to make his long-awaited second debut for the Bianconeri, and recent reports suggest that the ex-Arsenal and Inter striker might have to wait until January for a first competitive appearance.
Monza possible starting lineup:
Turati; Izzo, Mari, Carboni; Pereira, Bianco, Bondo, Kyriakopoulos; Caprari, Mota; Djuric
Udinese possible starting lineup:
Okoye; Ehizibue, Bijol, Giannetti, Zemura; Lovric, Karlstrom, Zarraga; Thauvin; Lucca, Davis
We say: Monza 1-2 Udinese
Though neither side has impressed of late, the visitors have a more significant threat up front, and their hosts are at a low ebb in terms of confidence.
Udinese rank second in Serie A for headed goals (six), while Monza have conceded the most from headers so far (seven), so taking a direct route could see the Friulani secure victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
