Carpi will be desperate to begin working their way out of the relegation zone when they host Udinese on Saturday afternoon at the Stadio Alberto Braglia.
Carpi are sitting anxiously in 19th place, ahead of only the winless Hellas Verona. Udinese have positioned themselves in the middle of the table, in the 11th spot. The two sides are separated by thirteen points.
The Biancorossi are coming off a positive 0-0 draw against Lazio after a hard-fought 3-2 loss at home to Juventus last weekend. Coach Fabrizio Castori will be hoping that these last fixtures can help his side grow in confidence and become a factor in the second half of the Serie A season.
The Friulian Bianconeri have won two matches on the trot, a 1-0 victory against Torino followed by a 2-1 triumph over Atalanta midweek. Although they are enjoying life away from the relegation zone, a mere two points separate Udinese from 15th-place Bologna so things could quickly go south for Stefano Colantuono’s men should the points begin to desist.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two sides. Goals are not coming naturally for either team, Carpi second-to-last with 15 while Udinese follow with a mere two more. The Zebrette have conceded eight more goals than they have scored after 18 matches, worse than the next four teams chasing them in the standings, alarming for a club with aspirations of finishing in the top half of the table.
Carpi will be without the services of injured Matteo Fedele, Igor Bubnjic, Raffaele Bianco and Ryder Matos. Udinese must make do without Alexander Merkel, Panagiotis Kone and Maurizio Domizzi.
Neither side is facing any suspensions.
Form Guide: Carpi (W-D-L-L-D) Udinese (W-L-L-W-W)
Expected Starting XIs:
Carpi: Belec; Letizia, Zaccardo, Romagnoli, Gagliolo, Gabriel Silva; Cofie, Marrone, Lollo; Mbakogu, Di Gaudio
Udinese: Karnezis; Piris, Danilo, Felipe; Widmer, Badu, Lodi, Fernandes, Edenilson; Thereau, Perica
