Udinese go into Udinese vs Lecce with one win from their last eight top-flight home fixtures and 13 league goals already against them. Lecce arrive with 6 points from 6 matches, so this looks more like a narrow Serie A grind than a game that should open up early.

Udinese's home slide

The numbers around Udinese are awkward enough on their own. They have won only one of their last eight top-flight home fixtures and failed to score in five of them, then followed their Coppa Italia run to the last 16 at the start of September with four straight defeats.

The defensive record is the bigger problem. Udinese have already conceded 13 league goals this season, which matches their worst tally after six rounds since 1961. That is a serious early warning sign, especially with Kosta Runjaic already facing questions about a side that tends to fade after half time.

Runjaic said: "Runjaic needs to turn things around, and there are several aspects he will be keen to address: notably, his team tend to wilt after half time, as no side has scored fewer goals during the second half."

Lecce's away doubts

Lecce are not arriving with much comfort of their own. Eusebio Di Francesco said: "Including an early Coppa Italia exit to Palermo, his team tend to struggle when playing away from the Via del Mare, so they will hope rather than expect to take something home from a very long trip north."

Their league position is not disastrous, but 6 points from 6 matches leaves little margin if the game becomes a set-piece or second-ball contest. The preview also points to thin attacking options, with William Geubbels, Nikola Stulic and Paco Esteban all still scoreless in the league this season.

Udinese may have a little more threat through Jurgen Ekkelenkamp, who has been involved in 11 Serie A strikes in the calendar year. Even so, this still looks like a match where one clean moment could decide it, rather than a game built for long spells of control.

James Abankwah has joined Nicolo Zanolo, Vakoun Bayo and Idrissa Gueye on the Udinese sidelines, while Ivan Ilic's muscular injury against Bologna and Medon Berisha's thigh problem leave Lecce with more selection issues to work around. If one side finds a first goal, the other may not have much in reserve to force the pace.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →