Both beaten by a Milan giant last week, Udinese and Lecce will look to get back on track when they lock horns on Saturday.
The hosts have lost twice since storming to the top of the Serie A standings, while their struggling visitors are still searching for a first away win.
Match preview
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Having lost six of their previous seven league matches against Inter Milan - conceding goals at a rate of 2.7 per game - it was perhaps no surprise that Udinese were beaten by Italy's reigning champions last weekend.
Though they trailed within 60 seconds, Christian Kabasele later levelled, and after letting Lautaro Martinez net twice either side of the break, the hosts then set up a nervy finale when Lorenzo Lucca scored their second on 83 minutes.
However, Udinese could not find an equaliser and have now lost successive Serie A matches while shipping three goals for the first time since 2019; as a result, they slipped down to eighth place, remaining on 10 points.
The Bianconeri had won three of their first four fixtures to surge into top spot, but back-to-back league defeats - first to Roma, then Inter - have now brought them back down to earth.
Including two cup ties, head coach Kosta Runjaic has overseen four wins from five on home turf this season, so the early months of his tenure can still be considered a success.
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Although their away record requires considerable improvement, Lecce have managed to travel home with a point from their last two trips to Udine, having lost 11 of the previous 14.
Like this week's hosts, the Salentini came up against a second-city heavyweight last time out, when they were undone by a five-minute blitz towards the end of the first half at San Siro.
AC Milan ruthlessly fired in three goals just before the break, leaving Lecce with little hope of salvaging anything from the game, and the visitors' 3-0 loss left them occupying 18th place in Serie A, with just five points on the board.
Stretching back to last season, the Giallorossi have now failed to score in any of their last four away matches, and all told, they have notched just five times in eight games across all competitions this term.
Star striker Nikola Krstovic seems to have a shoot-on-sight policy - his team's tally of 98 attempts so far only ranks second to Roma - but that has contributed to Lecce having the lowest shot conversion rate in Serie A (3%).
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Udinese boss Kosta Runjaic should have Lautaro Giannetti and Hassane Kamara back from injury this weekend - and both could return to the hosts' starting lineup - but French forward Florian Thauvin picked up a knock against Inter and his presence is in some doubt.
Either Thauvin or Brenner should link up with a central striker on Saturday: Keinan Davis was preferred to Lorenzo Lucca last time out, but the latter came off the bench to score his third goal in five Serie A appearances - as many as throughout the previous 22.
Injured trio Martin Payero (ankle), Thomas Kristensen (muscular) and Alexis Sanchez (calf) are not due back until after the international break.
Meanwhile, Lecce can recall Frederic Guilbert, who is set to regain his place at right-back after serving a suspension.
Both Mohamed Kaba (ACL) and Medon Berisha (thigh) are still sidelined, but Lameck Banda - who trained separately during the week due to a muscular issue - could recover in time to support Nikola Krstovic up front.
The Montenegrin striker has not scored away from home since early May; that strike against Cagliari remains the Giallorossi's most recent goal on the road.
Udinese possible starting lineup:
Okoye; Kabasele, Bijol, Giannetti; Ehizibue, Lovric, Karlstrom, Ekkelenkamp, Kamara; Brenner, Lucca
Lecce possible starting lineup:
Falcone; Guilbert, Gaspar, Baschirotto, Gallo; Ramadani, Coulibaly, Pierret; Dorgu, Krstovic, Rebic
We say: Udinese 1-0 Lecce
Lecce coach Luca Gotti is set to leave his old club empty-handed, as Udinese are tough to beat on home turf and have a more potent attack than their visitors.
That would make for a long return journey south, as the Salentini contemplate spending the international break inside Serie A's drop zone.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
