Torino – Udinese

Udinese will end their losing streak.

Udinese have lost three rounds in a row, but the latest defeat was perhaps the most frustrating. The Friulians hosted Cagliari and started the match quite well. In the first half, the hosts took 12 shots at their opponents’ goal, although they failed to convert any of them. A real threat to Caprile’s goal began to emerge at the start of the second half. In the first ten minutes alone, the Bianconeri had three excellent chances to open the scoring, but after that everything went off plan. A gross defensive error allowed the Islanders to take the lead. No matter how hard the Friulians tried to rescue a draw, they failed. A round earlier, the team faced Inter at the Giuseppe Meazza. By the 16th minute, Udinese were two goals ahead, but eventually lost 5–3. Before that, Runjaic’s side lost 2–1 to Lazio. The Friulians could solve some of their defensive problems by signing David Alaba. A star-quality, experienced player would certainly help his new team. Torino shared the points with Bologna last round. The Rossoblu, who had changed their coach the day before, took the lead in the 14th minute. Bernardeschi’s goal had every chance of remaining the only one of the match. Neither side forced the pace, and there were few real opportunities to score. Torino did, however, manage to rescue a draw. In the 77th minute, Skorupski quite unexpectedly failed to deal with Kulenovic’s not particularly difficult long-range shot. Last season, the Friulians beat the Turin side twice. At the Olimpico, the visitors secured three points with a 2–1 victory, while at Stadio Friuli they won comfortably, 2–0. The teams’ statistical metrics are consistent with the results they have shown. Interestingly, xPTS suggests that each club should have earned one more point. Costa Runjaic’s men are in no way inferior to their opponents. Their run of poor results has been caused either by the high level of their opponents or by sheer bad luck. The Turin side are disappointing not so much in terms of results as in terms of their performances. Ignazio Abate has still not instilled a clear style of play in the team; the Granata find it extremely difficult to create chances, and there can be no talk of consistency in their results. The Bianconeri are inferior to their opponents in no aspect, and the inflated odds are based solely on results that are unlikely to be repeated. Udinese must pick up points in this match.