Atalanta – Udinese Prediction & Picks (31.03.2018)

Atalanta and Udinese meet at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia, in a match for the 30th round of Serie A. In the last direct match for this edition of the league, on 10-29-2017, Udinese won at home by (2-1). In this stadium, the history of direct confrontations is favorable to the home team, which records 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss in the last 5 matches. However, the last time these two teams played a match at this stadium was on 11-12-2016, in a match for the Serie A that ended with the victory of Udinese by (1-3). The goals of the match were scored by J. Kurtič (47 ‘), for Atalanta, and D. Zapata (45’), S. Fofana (72 ‘) and C. Théréau (87’), for Udinese. In this game the home factor may be decisive, since Atalanta presents considerable differences in their results at home and as a visitor.

Atalanta:

After 12 wins, 8 draws and 8 losses, the home team is currently in the 7 th position, with 44 points won. In the last match, they have won in an away match against Hellas Verona by (0-5), after in the previous match they have lost (2-0) an away match against Juventus. This is a team that, oddly enough, has had better results in away matches than at home, since in the last 30 matches they register 8 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses in away matches; against 7 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses at their stadium. For the championship, Atalanta won 16 points out of 30 possible, after 4 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses in the last 10 home matches. In their home league matches the most frequent result at half-time was the 0-0 (5 out of 13 matches). Their attack has scored regularly, since they have scored goals in 8 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In 28 matches in this competition, they only got 2 comebacks in 13 games in which they suffered the first goal. In the last 13 home matches for this competition there is 1 period that stands out: they have conceded 6 of their 13 goals between minutes (16′-30 ‘).

The Atalanta comes to this day with morale high, after having achieved a huge victory over Verona, 0-5, returning to the triumphs after the defeat against Juventus. Of note that the great goal of Atalanta is to finish in the top six of the Italian championship. In this game against his fans, coach Gian Piero Gasperini must keep the team in 3-4-2-1, benefiting possession of the ball and organized attacks, however, counterattacks are a very strong point of this team. Ilicic is one of the most dangerous players on the attack front of Atalanta, being very fast and competent in transporting the ball towards the attack. For this game the coach can count on all his players.

Udinese:

The away team is currently in the 12 th position of the league, with 33 points won, after 10 wins, 3 draws and 15 losses. In the penultimate match, they lost in an away match against Juventus, by (2-0). In the last match, they lost in a home match against Sassuolo, by (1-2). This is a team that usually maintains its competitive levels in home and away matches, since in the last 30 matches they register 5 wins, 1 draw and 9 losses in away matches, with 15 goals scored and 21 conceded; against 6 wins, 2 draws and 7 losses at their stadium, with 29 goals scored and 23 conceded. In the last match they played, for the Friendlies, they lost with Domžale away by (1-0). In the last 10 away matches for the championship Udinese has registered 5 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses, so they have won 16 points out of 30 possible. In their away league matches the most frequent result at half-time was the 1-0 (6 out of 14 matches). They have not been very strong defensively, since they have suffered goals in 9 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In 28 matches in this competition, they have only had 2 comebacks in the 18 matches they suffered in the first goal.

The Udinese is going through a very black moment in the season, since it has five consecutive defeats in this competition, being the last against Sassuolo, at home, by 1-2. Normally the coach Massimo Oddo acts with three players in the defense, five in the center of the field and two in the attack, being Maxi Lopez the most advanced player of the team. However, Kevin Lasagna is the best finalist of Udinese, with 7 goals scored. The Argentine Rodrigo de Paul is one of the most important players in the style of game of the visitors, being the owner of great technical quality and vision of the game. For this game the coach can not count on Zapata, due to a suspension.