Enjoying their best form of the season, Cagliari will make the long trip north to meet Udinese on Friday evening, seeking a third win from four games in Serie A.
The Sardinian side have suddenly narrowed the points gap to their hosts, who missed an opportunity to sneak inside the top four by losing to 10-man AC Milan.
Match preview
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Udinese left San Siro frustrated by their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Milan, having seen two goals disallowed, including one which was ruled out for offside during second-half stoppage time.
As the Bianconeri had been playing with an extra man for over an hour, they may have expected to overturn their hosts' early opener, but they ultimately produced only one legitimate shot on target.
Victory would have extended a superb start to the reign of head coach Kosta Runjaic, who took over a team that came dangerously close to relegation last term, but they are still within six points of Serie A leaders Napoli after eight rounds.
In addition to four league wins, Udinese have also posted a pair of Coppa Italia victories over second-tier opposition, which has teed up an appetising last-16 clash with Inter Milan in December.
Between now and then, the Friulani face a packed top-flight schedule, starting with Friday's game against Cagliari, with whom they shared the spoils twice last season in Serie A.
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Cagliari not only avoided defeat in those two meetings, but they also prevailed in a cup clash between the clubs, dramatically winning 2-1 after extra time in Udine.
Due to a recent upswing in form, the Rossoblu may fancy their chances of repeating that success 11 months later, as they will travel north on the back of three excellent results.
Davide Nicola's side relied on late goals to notch their first league victory of the season against promoted Parma before pegging back Scudetto contenders Juventus to snatch a 1-1 draw at the start of October.
Upon returning from the international break, Cagliari let a lead slip against Torino before turning the game around inside the final 20 minutes, edging a five-goal thriller in Sardinia.
Nicola has also overseen Coppa Italia wins over Serie B sides Carrarese and Cremonese, which set up another meeting with Juve, so his first few months as manager of the Isolani can be broadly considered a success.
Team News
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Italy striker Lorenzo Lucca and French forward Florian Thauvin have been Udinese's leading Serie A scorers this season, each netting three times so far, and their partnership may be resumed this weekend.
The latter hopes to return from a hip problem, but fellow forward Alexis Sanchez must wait a while longer to make his second debut for the Friulani due to a calf injury.
Centre-back Thomas Kristensen is the hosts' only other possible absentee, as he continues to struggle with a muscular issue, so Kosta Runjaic should keep faith with most of the starting XI that lined up against Milan.
Meanwhile, Cagliari expect to be without Jakub Jankto and Leonardo Pavoletti once again, but Adam Obert could be back in action following an adductor injury that saw him leave Slovakia's UEFA Nations League camp early.
Davide Nicola may even name an unchanged side on Friday evening, with Yerry Mina and Sebastiano Luperto - the latter of whom has not missed a minute of league action so far - starting at the heart of the Isolani's defence.
Udinese possible starting lineup:
Okoye; Kabasele, Bijol, Toure; Ehizibue, Lovric, Karlstrom, Zarraga, Zemura; Thauvin, Lucca
Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Scuffet; Zappa, Mina, Luperto; Zortea, Makoumbou, Adopo, Augello; Viola, Luvumbo; Piccoli
We say: Udinese 1-0 Cagliari
Neither side are particularly prolific, so the game could be decided by a single goal - and Udinese are marginal favourites to score it.
The hosts have made a fine start to their 2024-25 campaign, while Cagliari are often less effective when away from Sardinian soil.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
