Inter vs Udinese: Nerazzurri look to close gap on top two
Inter will be looking to gain some ground on both Napoli and AC Milan when they welcome Udinese to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Sunday. As of now, the reigning Scudetto champions sit seven points behind the Partenopei and the Rossoneri, who have set the pace early on in the battle for the Scudetto at the end of this season. Still, there’s plenty of football to be played between now and May, meaning that anything can happen, but the onus will be on the Nerazzurri to pick up maximum points, especially with Napoli expected to win against struggling debutants Salernitana without much fuss.
Simone Inzaghi’s men come into this match having ended their two game winless streak with a crucial 2-0 road win over Empoli midweek. That sees them sitting in third spot, but they do have Roma, who will face Milan in this round’s biggest match, lurking just behind. Fortunately for Inter, this upcoming match should be pretty straightforward – on paper at least – given Udinese’s poor form as of late.
Indeed, in what has become the unfortunate story of the Zebrette, Udinese started off the season well enough but have since seen their form take a massive nose-dive. Luca Gotti’s side are now without a win in their last seven games, and indeed, they come into this tie having picked up just four points from their last five games. As a result, the visitors sit just four points away from the drop zone, and sadly enough, Udinese have been flirting with relegation for the past few seasons. While they come into this contest having secured a well-deserved point against Atalanta, the odds are heavily stacked against them here.
Udinese have won just once on the road this term, and that was against Spezia, a team who are only in their sophomore campaign in Italy’s top flight, so really, that doesn’t bode well for the struggling Zebrette. Overall, they’ve won just twice all season, and for all intents and purposes, a straightforward win should be on the cards for Inter as they seek to make up some lost ground on Napoli and Milan.
