Mid-table duo Udinese and Torino will meet on Sunday afternoon, fighting it out for maximum points from their final Serie A fixture of 2024.
While the hosts have recently firmed up their place inside the top half with two wins from three, Toro's drift down the standings continues.
Match preview
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Inflicting a rare home defeat on in-form Fiorentina, Udinese bravely fought back from behind in their last outing before Christmas, stunning their hosts at Stadio Franchi.
Forward pair Lorenzo Lucca and Florian Thauvin both found the net in Florence, and after seizing the lead, the Friulani hung on for a 2-1 victory that kept them ninth in the table - just behind AC Milan.
Two wins from three league games is as many as throughout the previous 10, in a period that saw Kosta Runjaic's side fall off the pace following a bright start to his reign.
After winning four of his first five home games and drawing the other, Runjaic has since overseen three straight defeats in Udine - and by an aggregate score of 7-1 - so his next task will be turning the Bianconeri's home form around.
While they have won just one of their last seven against Torino in Serie A, Udinese come into Sunday's contest with a fine record in year-ending fixtures: they have lost only two of the last 13, most recently beating Bologna 3-0 last December.
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By contrast with their hosts, the last time Torino won the final league match of a calendar year was back in 2016; since then, they have recorded four draws and three defeats.
The Turin club also approach this game amid a worrying downturn in form, as a serious lack of goals bites hard on their chances of challenging for Europe.
In their last eight top-flight outings, Toro have scored the fewest goals of any Serie A side - just two - after netting 15 in their first nine under Paolo Vanoli's management.
Last week, they were beaten 2-0 by Bologna on home turf, conceding twice in the final 20 minutes to suffer a frustrating defeat that left them sitting 12th with two games remaining until the halfway stage.
The Granata will therefore aim to get back on track by continuing an impressive record against Udinese: they have won 10 of their last 18 league games versus the Friulani, including both of the last two in Udine.
Team News
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Kosta Runjaic could have key defender Jaka Bijol back at his disposal this weekend, after the Slovenian centre-back missed Udinese's win over Fiorentina with muscular fatigue, while midfielder Martin Payero has also returned to training after a month on the sidelines.
Oier Zarraga, Keinan Davis and Lautaro Giannetti are still unavailable, though, in addition to first-choice goalkeeper Maduka Okoye.
With veteran striker Alexis Sanchez set to start on the bench, Florian Thauvin and Lorenzo Lucca should continue up front: after last week's strike, the latter has been directly involved in 18 Serie A goals since the start of last season.
Torino will travel north with a misfiring front line, as Duvan Zapata is absent for the long term while Che Adams and Antonio Sanabria are struggling to produce goals; incidentally, Sanabria has yet to score against Udinese in eight previous attempts.
Perr Schuurs is alongside Zapata on the long journey back from an ACL injury, but Sebastian Walukiewicz may be passed fit despite being forced off against Bologna by a respiratory problem.
The visitors' defence will be further bolstered by Saul Coco's return, after the Equatorial Guinea international served a one-match suspension last weekend.
Udinese possible starting lineup:
Sava; Kristensen, Bijol, Toure; Ehizibue, Lovric, Karlstrom, Ekkelenkamp, Zemura; Thauvin, Lucca
Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Maripan, Coco, Masina; Pedersen, Ricci, Linetty, Vlasic, Sosa; Adams, Sanabria
We say: Udinese 1-0 Torino
With a greater goal threat than their visitors, Udinese could continue their upturn by beating Torino and keeping a rare clean sheet.
Toro have tailed off badly in recent weeks, while the Friulani can realistically target a top-half finish.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
