Fiorentina vs Udinese: Will the Zebras avoid losing in Florence for the first time since 2007?

Fiorentina finished the first round of the Italian championship on the border of the European Cup zone. Will Vincenzo Italiano's side confirm their status as international contenders in the first match of the second round? Their opponents are a tough Udinese side.

The Violets were not at their best in their final two first-round matches. First, Vincenzo Italiano's side snatched a draw at home to Sassuolo, scoring two goals in the second half, 2-2. Then they drew 1-1 away against Verona, also only scoring in the end. Fiorentina's 4 points in 2 games saw them drop out of the Eurocup zone. The team from Florence finished the 19th round in 7th place in the standings, only behind 6th-placed Roma in terms of additional points.

Perhaps it was the proximity of Dusan Vlahovic's record that threw Fiorentina off their game a little. By the 18th round match, the Serbian came within one goal of Cristiano Ronaldo's 33 goals in Serie A in a calendar year. Vlahovic scored against Sassuolo but failed to distinguish himself in the match against Verona. Thus, the Serbian has now reached the same mark as Ronaldo did a couple of years ago. The record was only repeated, not broken.

After Luca Gotti was sacked as head coach, the team played three games. First, the Zebras, now managed by Gabriele Cioffi, narrowly missed out on a 1-1 home win against AC Milan with a Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal in stoppage time. Udinese then confidently beat Serie B side Crotone 4-0 at home. Udinese repeated their 4-0 away defeat against Cagliari in the closing game of the first leg. It was as if a psychological weight had been lifted off the players' shoulders. Perhaps Gotti really has squeezed the maximum out of Udinese and has been stalling lately, leading the players there as well.

In addition to psychological significance, the draw with AC Milan and the win over Cagliari also have tournament value for the stripes. Udinese are nine points clear of the relegation zone. When the gap was smaller, it was also clear that the Zebras were not a relegation contender. But with a handicap of 3 wins, there is no doubt that they are calmer all the same.

The trip to Florence is a stumbling block for Udinese. The Zebras have not defeated the visiting Fiorentina side since 2007. Moreover, Udinese have not produced a draw at Artemio Franchi since then - 14 straight defeats, 13 in Serie A.

A bet on Fiorentina to win, despite their long home winning streak against Udinese, does seem dangerous. All streaks come to an end, so why shouldn't the Zebra players, revitalised by the change of coach, interrupt their unpleasant tradition here and now? Although we cannot be sure about Udinese yet either. The team has been playing quality all season, but it has not avoided failures.

In general, Fiorentina will not lose but may not win. On the other hand, Udinese may not lose and are likely to score. The striped team has only gone away without a goal in matches against Roma and Inter this season. Breaking into the Violets is easier - Vincenzo Italiano's side have only gone clear at home to Salernitana, La Spezia and Cagliari this season. Udinese are a higher level team.

We predict that both sides will score.

• Both teams to score - yes for 1.80;
• Both teams to score and 1X for 2.15;
• Correct score 2-1 for 7.50.