Atalanta v Udinese – Preview: Nerazzurri fighting for new life under Reja

Date: 13th March 2015 at 11:45am
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Atalanta host Udinese on Sunday afternoon as the Bergamo side look to keep some distance between them and the drop zone.

Not much has separated the two northern teams in recent history. Half of their last 10 matches ended in a draws, with Udinese taking three and Atalanta the other two.

The Zebrette won the first contest in October 2-0 thanks to goals from Antonio Di Natale and Cyril Thereau.

More concerning is Atalanta’s recent form, which is one of the worst in Serie A at the moment. They are winless in five games, scoring just as many goals in that span.

That poor run of results has pushed Atalanta down the standings. They are sitting just five points out of the relegation zone.

Stefano Colantuono was sacked as coach at the beginning of March, with veteran Serie A boss Edy Reja taking over with the aim of surviving the rest of the Serie A campaign.

Life for Udinese is a little bit easier. The Friuli club stand alone in a comfortable 12th-placed spot. They will remain in that position, however, even with a win.

Udinese have turned a corner themselves, handing high-flying Torino their first Serie A loss since November last weekend. But scoring is just as much as an issue for Udinese. They too have only managed five goals in five games – and two of those were own goals.

Injuries are not as big of an issue, but they will likely be without defenders Maurizio Domizzi, Giovanni Pasquale and Ivan Piris.

For Atalanta, the list is a little longer. The most pressing absence could be promising fullback Davide Zappacosta, who has scored three goals this season. Other doubts include defender Giuseppe Biava and midfielders Marcelo Estigarribia and Cristian Raimondi.

Form Guide: Atalanta (L-L-L-L-D) Udinese (D-L-L-L-W)

Expected Starting XIs

Atalanta: Sportiello; Drame, Stendardo, Benalouane, Bellini; Cigarini, Carmona; Gomez, Moralez, Emanuelson; Denis

Udinese: Karnezis; Wague, Danilo, Heurtaux; Gabriel Silva, Guilherme, Pinzi, Allan, Widmer; Kone; Di Natale

 

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