Udinese Calcio have lost a key player and in the coming round Costa Runjaic and his staff will have to improvise urgently. For Parma Calcio 1913, who have been steadily picking up points lately, this is an excellent chance to spare themselves unnecessary nerves in the final rounds.
Without Davis, Udinese Are Heading for a Collapse
Costa Runjaic has set up an extremely simple style of football at Udinese Calcio. The back five do not try to be clever — their aim is to win the ball and then move it into midfield, where the technically gifted and creative Zaniolo, Atta and Ekkelenkamp operate. This trio are given freedom by the coaching staff: they can weave patterns in the middle or look for space out wide. The main thing is that in the end they deliver crosses into the box for the 190-centimetre-tall Davis. The Englishman knows his job (10 goals), whereas his deputies Gueye and Buksa cannot boast similar productivity (only two goals between them). As a result, all the hosts' attacks are likely to break down in the final phase.
Parma Need Only One Chance to Be Happy
The previous round was the perfect illustration of Parma Calcio 1913 in the 2025/26 campaign. In the very first minute Strefezza went one-on-one with the Napoli goalkeeper and made no mistake. After that it was all about parking the bus and clearing their lines. Yes, they could not hold out in the end (1:1), but even that point is worth its weight in gold for the visitors. It is obvious that the plan in Udine will be the same. The wing-backs will drop into line with the centre-backs and wait for the chance to send long balls towards Pellegrino, who returns from suspension. He, incidentally, is in the top 5% of players in the top five leagues for aerial duels won. Even more importantly, he is slightly outperforming his expected goals: eight strikes from 7.77 xG.
Bet for the Match
The absence of their main target man will be a sentence for Udinese Calcio. Without Davis, the Parma Calcio 1913 defenders should find it easy to cut off the supply line to Zaniolo and thus fully protect their goalkeeper. In that scenario the visitors are quite capable of taking vital points home.
Prediction: Parma Calcio 1913, double chance
Udinese Form and Team News
In the previous round Udinese Calcio produced a sensational 3:0 thrashing of Milan, although that match was marred by an injury to the team's top scorer Davis (10+3). In six matches without him the hosts failed to score at all three times and managed to win only once.
Key Udinese Calcio numbers:
Udinese Calcio have not won any of their last five games without Davis (four defeats and one draw).
The team have recorded only two victories in their last eight home matches.
Udinese Calcio are among the six worst sides in the league for home goals scored (16).
Potential Udinese Calcio Lineup (5-4-1): Okoye — Ehizibue, Christensen, Kabasele, Soule, Kamara — Zaniolo, Karlstrom, Atta, Ekkelenkamp — Gueye.
Unavailable: Davis, Zanoli (both injured).
Parma Form and Team News
Parma Calcio 1913 are fighting tooth and nail to secure their place in the top division. In their last two matches they have taken points off Lazio (1:1) and even Napoli (1:1), showing remarkable resilience and an ability to make the most of every chance — on both occasions their xG did not exceed 0.32.
Key Parma Calcio 1913 numbers:
Parma Calcio 1913 have picked up points in 7 of their last 10 matches.
Parma Calcio 1913 have scored in four of their last five away games.
Mateo Pellegrino is among the top five scorers in Serie A (eight goals).
Potential Parma Calcio 1913 Lineup (3-5-2): Suzuki — Cikati, Troilo, Valenti — Delprato, Bernabe, Nicolussi Caviglia, Keita, Valeri — Strefezza, Pellegrino.
Unavailable: Frigan, Cremaski (both injured).
