The upcoming Serie A fixture between Monza and Udinese marks the final clash of the current Italian league round, with both sides struggling to accumulate points. Monza find themselves languishing near the bottom of the table, while Udinese are in danger of slipping out of the top 10.
Since 30th October, Monza have managed just two shots on target in five Serie A matches—only Torino have fared worse with one. They hold the league's lowest xG of 10.76, despite the coaching staff having constructed a relatively stable defence, reflected in their 19.60 xGA, ranking 10th. More recently, Monza meekly surrendered their cup match against Bologna (0:4), signalling that their focus is firmly on the primary league competition.
In their last five Serie A outings, Udinese have picked up only a single point—their worst record alongside Torino. Their poor performance against Genoa (0:2) underscored the crisis within Udinese: they failed to mentally regroup following a quick red card for Isaak Touré, registering just 0.13 xG and two shots on target in 90 minutes. With Alexis Sánchez and Gerard Deulofeu sidelined due to injuries, both of whom were crucial to their pre-season strategies, Udinese now largely depend on Florian Thauvin for creativity.
Despite Isaak Touré's suspension, Jaka Bijol returns to Udinese after a yellow card suspension. Monza are set to play against the mid-table side with a low defensive block, with both teams scrapping for any available points.
