Saturday 24th March 2012, 7.45pm GMT (live on ESPN)
When these two met at the Stadio Renzo Barbera last season, the 7-0 result was Palermo’s biggest home defeat in Serie A and Udinese’s biggest away win. At the time Udinese were on their way to an unexpected fourth place finish, which qualified them for a Champions League play-off. They have shown less consistency this season, but are still just a point short of third place due to the fact that Lazio have been equally inconsistent of late. Last week Udinese threw away a 2-0 home lead in the last ten minutes against Napoli, an eventuality which would have been hard to imagine last season.
Considering the fact that their home record is the second best in Serie A (Udinese is the only club with a superior home record), Palermo should also be battling for a European place instead of trailing Udinese by 12 points. However their away form is awful, and they have managed to earn just a point from their last four games. Coach Bortolo Mutti’s future looks precarious - so much so that former Real Madrid defender Christian Panucci has apparently indicated that he will take charge of the Sicilian club when the season finishes.
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| Munoz earned a point for Palermo last week, but will miss the game tomorrow |
Udinese’s defensive options will be limited tomorrow as Mauricio Isla and Mehdi Benatia are injured, while Maurizio Domizzi is suspended. Forwards Antonio Floro Flores and Diego Fabbrini are also suspended, though midfielder Dusan Basta is expected to return from injury. Ezequiel Muñoz and Matias Silvestre will be missing from the Palermo defence, through suspension and injury respectively, while midfielders Nicolas Bertolo and Giulio Migliaccio are also unavailable.
The result of this game is a tricky one to call considering the erratic nature of both teams, though it is worth noting that Palermo have not drawn at home so far this season. While Udinese have won just two of their last twelve league games on the road, they have won all of their last four games against Palermo. The visitors have scored 16 goals in these four games, and I think the absences from both teams' defensive line-ups should lead to more goals in an open game.
Prediction - over 2.5 goals - 5pts
Match odds: Palermo 6/4
Draw 9/4
Udinese 17/10
Over 2.5 goals 5/6
