Napoli-Udinese Match Preview

Udinese visit the Maradona in search of their first victory of the season, while Napoli look to end a three-games winless streak after a tumultuous few days off the pitch. 

SSC Napoli

Only five matches in the the season, Napoli already find themselves seven points behind league leaders Inter. The Partenopei followed up a loss to Lazio and draw to Genoa with yet another draw to Bologna.  Though the Napoli played well against a Bologna side who set up to frustrate them, the visitors failed to find the back of the goal. Victor Osimhen was denied by the woodwork in the first half before missing from the spot in the second half.

Then the drama began. Osimhen was irate about being replaced by Giovanni Simeone in the 86th minute, indicating to Rudi Garcia that he should have stayed on to play with Simeone in a 4-4-2 formation. Shortly thereafter, the admin of the club’s official TikTok account posted a video mocking Osimhen for the miss. On Tuesday, Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda posted his discontent with the video and threatened legal action against the club.

“What happened today on Napoli’s official profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable. A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, rather belatedly, deleted. A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player and adds to the treatment that the boy has been suffering recently between media trials and fake news. We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor.”

Meanwhile, Osimhen deleted numerous photos of himself wearing a Napoli shirt from his Instagram page. According to Italian media, Osimhen apologized to his teammates. It remains to be seen, however, if the off-the-field distractions affect the play of the players on the field.

Udinese Calcio

Udinese are off to a dreadful start to the 2023/24 campaign, with no wins, three draws and two losses. Riccardo Sottil’s side, which has been devastated by injuries, has managed only one goal scored all season.

However, Le Zebrette carry some positive momentum into this match. Udinese were very impressive in their 2-0 defeat to Frosinone, generating an xG of 2.2 compared to Fiorentina’s 0.5.  The difference was the finishing.  Fiorentina attempted four shots and hit the target only twice, but managed to score two goals. Meanwhile, Udinese attempted 20 shots and hit the target eight times, but were foiled by Pietro Terracciano, who recorded a clean sheet.

Like Napoli, Udinese are amongst the top five teams in the league in shot attempts, yet the Bianconeri have managed to score only one goal all season. Udinese will hope to take advantage of the turmoil surrounding Napoli to secure their first victory over the Azzurri since 2016.

Injuries/Suspensions

Pierluigi Gollini remains sidelined with a hand injury, while Amir Rrahmani and Juan Jesus are expected to be out for a while with thigh muscle injuries.

Udinese are currently managing a number of injuries. Backup goalkeeper Daniele Padelli is out due to a muscular injury.  Three centre backs are injured:  Adam Masina with a muscular injury, Enzo Ebosse with a torn ACL and Christian Kobasele with an unknown injury.  Kingsley Ehizibue continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered at the end of last season.  Meanwhile, four attacking players are injured as well:  Gerard Deulofeu is close to recovering from the knee injury he suffered against Napoli last season; Brenner has a hamstring injury; Vivaldo Semedo is also recovering from a knee injury; and Keinan David has an unknown injury.