Seeking to extend their recent upturn in fortunes with a final win of 2021, Udinese welcome rock-bottom Salernitana to the Dacia Arena on Tuesday.
While the home side have enjoyed a 'new-manager bounce' to post back-to-back victories in league and cup, their southern visitors are still rooted to the foot of the table amid threats of expulsion from Serie A.
It remains possible, though, that the game will not go ahead, after local health authorities in Campania prevented Salernitana from taking the long trip north to Udine following a number of COVID-19 cases.
Match preview
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Another impressive performance on Saturday night confirmed the transformation of a previously faltering Udinese side since assistant coach Gabriele Cioffi took the reins from predecessor Luca Gotti, who was also promoted from number two to the top job at the Friuli.
Picking up four points in two games has helped the Zebrette creep away from the danger zone and back into the mid-table pack, with a weekend win coming in spectacular style down in Sardinia.
Previously only a spectacular late Zlatan Ibrahimovic intervention away from beating Milan on the new man's debut in the dugout, Udinese demolished struggling Cagliari to record just their second away win of the season.
An eye-catching double from the rejuvenated Gerard Deulofeu helped Cioffi's charges to a 4-0 success, just days after a midweek Coppa Italia victory over Serie B side Crotone by the same scoreline, which proved enough to persuade the Pozzo family that their interim appointment should take charge until the season's end.
Two wins and eight goals without reply, then, set up the Bianconeri perfectly for a meeting with opponents who are both bereft of confidence and have legitimate concerns about the future of their club.
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Amid a backdrop of speculation that they could be demoted to the amateur leagues due to an unresolved ownership issue, Salernitana have staggered from one bad result to another.
The Granata have now lost each of their last five games without finding the net - conceding 13 times in the process - following Saturday's mauling by reigning champions Inter at Stadio Arechi.
Head coach Stefano Colantuono - already the second man to take up the task of keeping the modest club afloat in Serie A this term - admitted after his side's 5-0 defeat that they are effectively hopeless against Serie A's big boys.
They have, though, fared little better against anyone else so far, as just two wins from the first half of the campaign sees them sit 20th in the division and - leaking goals at a rate of more than two per game - in dire trouble approaching the halfway stage.
Not only are things disintegrating on the field for the Campanian side, due to owner Claudio Lotito's long-established relationship with fellow top-flight club Lazio, he was required to sell Salernitana following their promotion from Serie B last spring. However, a buyer has not materialised since, and the FIGC (Italian Football Federation) could now bar the Salerno side from completing the campaign after the winter break.
Such chaos bodes badly for their hopes of returning south with three points on Tuesday, when they meet Udinese in the Italian top tier for the first time since 1998.
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Team News
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Having made numerous changes for the cup win over Crotone last week, Udinese coach Gabriele Cioffi reverted to a more familiar XI on Saturday, and should keep faith with most of the team that swept Cagliari aside.
Therefore, Gerard Deulofeu continues in support of Beto, who leads the line for the home side in a 3-5-2 formation, though Ignacio Pussetto and Isaac Success - the latter available again after suspension - offer alternative options up front.
Due to a serious shoulder injury, another ex-Watford man, Roberto Pereyra, remains sidelined for the Bianconeri, but Cioffi otherwise has a full hand from which to pick.
His Salernitana counterpart Stefano Colantuono, though, has no such luck, with Leonardo Capezzi, Mamadou Coulibaly, Cedric Gondo and Matteo Ruggeri among those expected to remain missing through injury.
Defensive duo Frederic Veseli and Stefan Strandberg, plus on-loan striker Federico Bonazzoli, are also doubtful for the Granata ahead of their final game of a tumultuous year.
If Bonazzoli and Gondo remain absent, Simy and veteran forward Franck Ribery could be asked to put in another shift up front, while Vincenzo Fiorillo is poised to continue between the posts after Vid Belec was dropped at the weekend.
Udinese possible starting lineup:
Silvestri; Becao, Samir, Nuytinck; Molina, Arslan, Walace, Makengo, Udogie; Deulofeu, Beto
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Fiorillo; Delli Carri, Gyomber, Bogdan, Ranieri; Kechrida, Kastanos, Obi, L. Coulibaly; Ribery; Simy
We say: Udinese 2-0 Salernitana
Even in the spirit of the season, it is difficult to see Salernitana being gifted even a goal on Tuesday, let alone a point, as they slip further adrift of safety.
Udinese will regret the timing of the mid-season break given their recent improvement, but have time for one more home win, which they will seal due to their greater attacking confidence and the visitors' ongoing defensive woes.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Udinese win with a probability of 66.74%. A draw had a probability of 20.1% and a win for Salernitana had a probability of 13.15%.
The most likely scoreline for a Udinese win was 2-0 with a probability of 12.62%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (12.5%) and 2-1 (9.63%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.54%), while for a Salernitana win it was 0-1 (4.73%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 4.7% likelihood.
