Serie A: Udinese is a Must-Win for Roma

AS Roma vs Udinese

After two matches on the road, Roma return home on Sunday as they attempt to get their Serie A campaign back on track after falling to AC Milan last week. 

They face a top-half team, which will test them well. But anything other than three points will make this a bad day at the office for the hosts. 

In a congested race for the Scudetto, I Giallorossi are sitting in fourth place, one point behind leaders Napoli and level with the two Milan giants. And the frustrating thing for manager Gian Piero Gasperini is that his team has lost 1-0 to both Inter Milan and AC Milan in recent weeks.

Had Roma drawn against both the Milan clubs, they would now sit top of the pile, but we are where we are. And Gasperini’s men now face a must-win game against Udinese if they are to be taken seriously as title challengers. 

I Giallorossi recovered from the loss to Milan with a 2-0 win away to Glasgow Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday, while Kosta Runjaic’s Udinese have a week to prepare following their impressive 1-0 win over Atalanta last week.      

 

Talking Points

Pellegrini says the boss is on the right road 

After a difficult period that has seen four losses, two in the league and two in Europe to Viktoria Plzen and Lille, Roma had a good night in Scotland as Lorenzo Pellegrini scored a wonderful goal 10 minutes before the break to all but end the match. Matias Soule had already headed I Giallorossi in front when Pellegrini struck, and Roma saw the game out with ease. And after the game, Roma legend Pellegrini insisted that the team was on the right course under Gasperini, following the manager’s switch from Atalanta in the summer.  

“I think this is still early days,” said Pellegrini, “But what we must appreciate is the continual improvement of the team. We had results at the start of the season, but without the same determination and visible improvements that we saw today.” 

The Azzurri star, who has 37 goals in 234 appearances for the club, is a fan as well as a player, and he has full faith in Gasperini, saying he has already had an impact on striker Artem Dovbyk.

“He had a couple of movements to shake off his marker today and perhaps a while ago he would not have tried, so we can get the ball to him in better positions,” he said.

At Atalanta, Gasperini proved how well he can get a creative unit working, and now, in his most experienced attacking midfielder, he has a loyal disciple at Roma.     

 

Zaniolo and Davis are getting it together

Udinese are a team to be respected, sitting ninth in the table, and they carry a serious threat up front, which will test the Giallorossi defence. The strike pair of Nicolo Zaniolo and Keinan Davis have three goals each, alongside the likes of Lautaro Martinez and Dusan Vlahovic, and they have been in fine form over the past couple of weeks. 

Attacking midfielder Zaniolo was a bright rising star a few years ago, but he hasn’t quite reached the potential he showed in five years at Roma, learning his trade. He has won 19 caps for Italy. But following a transfer to Galatasaray in 2023, he has spent the last two years on loan, last term at Fiorentina. But Zaniolo has his mojo back, scoring the winner against Atalanta last week and Udinese’s goal in a 3-1 defeat to Juventus before that.  

Alongside Zaniolo, 27-year-old English striker Davis is also thriving. The former Stevenage and Aston Villa star has found a home at Udinese, and he is now living the high life, scoring against the likes of Inter Milan, and he was on target in the recent 3-2 victory over Lecce.       

 

History

I Giallorossi have had much the better of the head-to-heads with 32 wins to ten, and there have been six draws in all competitions since 2003. 

In terms of their recent Serie A 2025 results, there is not too much to choose between the two teams. Roma have won three and lost three of their last six games, while Udinese have won two, lost two, and drawn two.     

 

Betting Tip

The Serie A 2025 betting odds say this is a home win at a SBOTOP price of 1.50, with the draw at 3.80 and an away win at 6.50.  

This could be a good weekend for Roma with leaders Napoli facing a tough test against Bologna. And if they can win, then I Giallorossi could well be top. But I think it will be a tight game and, for an alternative bet, a 1-0 home win can be backed at 6.00. 

   

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