Match day 3 in the Serie A, see’s league leaders Inter taking on 14th placed Udinese. Coming off a 3-1 loss to Parma, Udinese shocked AC Milan in round 1 with a 1-0 win. Inter on the other hand, sitting in first place recorded wins against Lecce and Cagliari. Both teams have had 2 weeks off, due to international break, and are looking to return with a win. Inter VS Udinese is a match that both teams will be competing for the full 3 points.
Udinese
Udinese were quiet in the off season, with not too much occurring throughout the transfer window. Following their 12th place finish last season, Udinese looked as if they were a new team in round 1. Taking out AC Milan in a shock 1-0 result, Udinese looked like they would cause some problems.
Round 2 saw them take on Parma, with the result swinging the opposite way, losing 3-1 at home. So, what can we see from Udinese’s first two fixtures? Some would call it luck; others would say determination – Udinese’s round 1 win over Milan. Whereas the same team mentality didn’t shine in the 3-1 loss to Parma.
Against Inter in their last 3 fixtures, Udinese has only walked away win a single point. Conceding 5 goals and they were unable to score a single goal. This match will pose an extreme challenge for the away team, coming up against a new Inter side.
Inter
Inter have started the season in the best possible way. They have won both their fixtures, scoring 6 goals along the way. Round 1 saw them take on newly promoted side Lecce, coming away with a 4-0 victory. In round 2 they travelled to Cagliari, where they again came away with a 2-1 win, putting them top of the table.
Although the start of the season was impressive, Inter’s off season activity was spectacular. Their transfer window was extremely active acquiring many talents throughout the window. Lukaku, Sensi, Barella, Godin, and new manager Conte added to Inter’s roster.
What has also been just as impressive with the new look Inter is their attacking potential. Their 6 goals have come from 5 different goal scorers, with Lukaku scoring 2. As well as that, Inter have also added former Udinese player Alexis Sanchez to their team on loan from United.
As mentioned prior, Inter haven’t lost to Udinese in their last 3 meetings, recording 2 wins and a draw. This will favour the home team, as they look to extend their Serie A lead.
Line-ups
Udinese will most probably field the same 11 that they did against Parma. Although the result didn’t go their way, Udinese lack squad depth which restricts the rotation of players.
Conte is very unpredictable when it comes to his line-ups on match day. But what we will attempt is to predict some players which will most probably start. Lukaku who has been dominant in has last 2 matches for Inter, also played well for Belgium, in the most recent international break. Scoring and providing an assist for Belgium, as well as 2 goals for Inter, he has been consistent. Martinez will most likely partner up with him, following a hat trick for Argentina against Mexico.
Sensi has been the inform player at Inter since his arrival in the off season. It will be hard to not see him partner up with Brozovic and Candreva. Skriniar will certainly start, alongside Ranocchia, and potentially the debut of Godin.
Prediction:
Inter VS Udinese will be a tough match, following the end of international break. As well as that Inter will also have their first Champions league next week, and as a result, Conte my be thinking forward to this match.
Inter 2 – Udinese 0: the reason for this prediction, is that Udinese have struggled to score goals all season. Their recent record against Inter also suggest the same. On the other hand, Inter have been scoring at will and will not want to drop points against Udinese.
