UDINESE

League position: 11th
Head coach: Luca Gotti
Serie A top-scorer: Rodrigo de Paul (5)

RECENT FORM

Roma: L L W W L
Udinese: L D D W W

Alongside city rivals Lazio, Roma are the best starters in the league and the two clubs have netted the joint-most goals in the first 15 minutes of Serie A games (8), while no team has scored fewer than Udinese’s one goal during the same opening quarter of an hour of matches.

The Giallorossi are the only team in the league that are still unbeaten at home in 2020-21 (P11, W8, D3), having led for the most minutes on home soil this season (518) and trailed for the fewest (49).

As for Gotti’s visitors, they are four unbeaten, have won their last two and haven’t conceded in any of their previous three Serie A outings.

If they are able to keep the league’s fourth highest scorers, the Udinese will chalk up a fourth successive clean sheets in the competition for the first time since May 2012.

LAST MEETING

DANGER MAN
Rodrigo de Paul

Only three teams have scored fewer times than Udinese (23) so far this term and were it not for their skipper’s five strikes they would surely be mired in the relegation places.

De Paul has also added two assists to the cause, meaning his seven direct involvements have contributed 30 percent of the Bianconeri’s goals.

In the absence of their suspended captain last Sunday, the influence of Gerard Deulofeu on the 2-0 win over Hellas Verona last time out will have pleased Gotti and shown that his team can do it without their talisman - but their chances of success in the capital will be significantly improved by the return of de Paul.

MATCH STATS

The last Serie A draw between these two was way back in March 2013 and since then, Roma have bagged 13 wins, while Udinese have claimed all three points just twice.

Since the 2016-17 season, Roma have kept six clean sheets in nine league meetings with Udinese; more than they’ve managed against any other opponent during that time.

The 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture was Roma’s first league win of the season and 48th over Udinese in Serie A from a total of 93 contests (P93, W48, D23, L22).

Including all competitions, Sunday’s game will be the 100th time these two teams have met.

PLAYER STATS

• Pedro’s wonderful effort that sealed Roma victory over Udinese on Matchday 3 was his first goal for the club.
  
• No Roma player has found the back of the net with their head more times than Gianluca Mancini (3) so far this term.
  
• Stephan El Shaarawy has scored five goals against Udinese in Serie A, and has only scored more against Chievo (7).
  
• Udinese's Stefano Okaka made his Serie A debut with Roma in December 2005 but only against Inter (10) has he played more games in the competition without scoring than against the Giallorossi (nine).

WHAT THEY SAID

“A difficult game awaits us, it’s definitely going to be a complicated match against a strong team. We’re fit, we are going to face Roma with humility and the right attitude.”

- Udinese defender Kevin Bonifazi