Soccer

Udinese vs. Napoli: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online

Napoli hasn’t enjoyed the best start to the season, and a win against Udinese away is a must if they are to stay close to the top of the table.

by Uros Popovic

Sep 21, 2014, 10:00 AM UTC

Dino Panato

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Serie A, Round 3: Roma win, Napoli and Inter both drop points

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Last week, Napoli suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at home against Chievo Verona. Despite creating a number of goal scoring opportunities, the partenopei failed to find the net, and it came back to bite them. Rafa Benítez has to think of a way to shake things up, as after last night's win over AC Milan, Juventus maintained their perfect win record. If the azzurri fail to win again, the scudetto dreams could vanish before even the most pessimistic of the fans thought they would.

However, Udinese didn't fare any better in the last round. They did have a much harder task, against Juve, but the performance was something they will want to forget as soon as possible. It is perhaps fair to say that the zebrette are still trying to find themselves under a new manager, Andrea Stramaccioni. That, and the fact that they are traditionally less ambitious, is why all the pressure today is on Napoli.

Seven years has passed since the Neapolitans conquered Udine, though, on the other hand, Udinese hasn’t beaten Napoli in the last six meetings.

Key player: Dries Mertens

Just to change it a little from the usual Marek Hamšík/Gonzalo Higuaín choice. Mertens was Napoli's best against Sparta on Thursday in Europa League, scoring two goals. He's a brilliant player, though, much like Lorenzo Insigne, struggles to find consistency in his performances. Udinese is having an injury crisis in defense, and the likes of Mertens and José Callejón could be able to take advantage of it -- unless Benítez decides to bench them ...

Key matchup: Antonio Di Natale vs. Napoli's defense

Besides being a great player and a prolific goalscorer, Di Natale is also a Neapolitan, and always extremely motivated against his hometown team. He has scored eight goals in ten games against Napoli, including two hattricks at the Friuli. Napoli's defense has great problems even against not so scary opponents, so if Di Natale is in form, today might be a nightmare for Raúl Albiol and Kalidou Koulibaly.

Udinese injuries and suspensions

Out: Albert Riera, Simone Scuffet, Gabriel Silva, Maurizio Domizzi. In doubt: Giovanni Pasquale, Molla Wague.

Pretty much every player that could play as a left wing-back is out. Even though Pasquale has recovered, it’s unlikely Stramaccioni will risk him. Instead, the reports suggest he will revert to a four men defense, deploying Iván Piris as a left fullback.