Udinese change coach ahead of relegation battle: Venezia vs Udinese prediction
On November 6, Venezia will host Udinese in the 11th round of Italy's Serie A. Both teams have made disastrous starts to the season and have already changed their head coaches. The hosts sit bottom of the table with three points, while the visitors have collected just five. A win would lift Venezia off the bottom, while Udinese will be looking to end their lengthy run of poor results.
Venezia: nine defeats and problems in front of goal
Venezia's return to Serie A has been extremely disappointing. The team have lost nine of their first ten matches, becoming only the third club in league history to make such a start. After Giovanni Stroppa was dismissed, Davide Nicola took charge and secured a surprise 1-0 win over Napoli in his debut match. However, three consecutive defeats without scoring followed, including the latest setback against Como (0-1).
The hosts' main problem is their poor performance at both ends of the pitch. Venezia have scored just six goals in ten rounds and concede an average of two per match. Marin Sverko, Bartol Franjic and Andrea Adorante will miss the game through injury, while Thierry Correia remains a doubt. In attack, the main hope rests on Akor Adams, who has registered 13 shots on target this season but has scored only twice.
Udinese: seven defeats in eight matches and a new coach
Udinese are going through an equally serious crisis. The team have lost seven of their last eight matches, while a heavy 2-5 home defeat to Roma led to Kosta Runjaic's dismissal. With five points from ten rounds, the club are enduring their worst start to a Serie A season this century. Paolo Zanetti has been tasked with turning things around; he previously coached Venezia and will now return to a familiar stadium.
The visitors' problems are compounded by the poor scoring form of their leading forwards. Keinan Davis has failed to score in 13 consecutive league matches, while Jurgen Ekkelenkamp remains the team's top scorer with three goals. Alessandro Zanoli, David Alaba and Idrissa Gueye are all sidelined with injuries. Vakoun Bayo's involvement remains in doubt, while Omar Solet has recovered from his injury.
Match facts and head-to-head record
- Venezia have lost nine of their first ten Serie A matches
- Udinese have won five of their last seven league meetings with Venezia
- Venezia have lost their last three matches without scoring
Will Udinese's coaching change help: Venezia vs Udinese prediction
Both teams are in crisis, but Venezia's situation looks particularly bleak. The hosts are barely scoring, regularly making mistakes in defence and have yet to build on their victory over Napoli.
Udinese are also far from their best, but the coaching change could provide an additional boost. Zanetti knows the opponent well, while the visitors possess enough attacking quality to exploit Venezia's defensive weaknesses.
