Opta Focus: Stats and insights ahead of Napoli v Udinese
On Sunday evening at 20:45 CET, Udinese, currently tenth in the table under manager Kosta Runjaic, will visit the Stadio Maradona. This fixture has been dominated by Napoli over the past nine seasons since 2016/17. The Azzurri are unbeaten in their last 17 Serie A meetings with Udinese (14 wins, three draws) and only against four other teams have they enjoyed a longer unbeaten streak in the competition: Cagliari (18), Como (18), Roma (19) and Cesena (26).
Udinese’s last Serie A victory over Napoli dates back to 3 April 2016, a 3-1 home win featuring a Bruno Fernandes brace and a goal from Cyril Thereau. Additionally, the Friulians have not won at the Stadio Maradona in Serie A since Walter Mazzarri’s second season in charge of Napoli (2010/11), when they claimed a 2-1 victory on 17 April 2011. Since then, Napoli have recorded 12 wins and one draw in home league meetings against Udinese.
Udinese come into this match off the back of a win over Venezia. However, they have not secured back-to-back Serie A victories since their three-game winning streak between August and September, when they defeated Lazio, Como and Parma.
Udinese’s strength in the air and dangerous from corners
Udinese are a tough, physical and well-organised side. They operate with a dynamic three-man defence and frequently look to exploit the flanks, delivering crosses to their target man, Lorenzo Lucca. Aside from being dangerous on the counter-attack, Runjaic’s team pose a major threat from set pieces, particularly corners.
Udinese have averaged a goal every 16 corners this season, the best ratio in the league, scoring six goals from 98 corners taken. Players like Oumar Solet, Thomas Kristensen, Jaka Bijol, Lucca and Martin Payero all possess significant physicality, allowing Udinese to dominate aerial duels.
Napoli, however, do have the tools to counter this approach. Sunday’s match involves the only two teams in Serie A that have yet to concede a headed goal this campaign. The last time Napoli conceded a header was on 11 May last year against Bologna (Dan Ndoye and Stefan Posch). Udinese, meanwhile, last conceded from a header on 6 May 2024, ironically against Napoli, when Victor Osimhen found the net.
Florian Thauvin and Lorenzo Lucca: a duo to watch
Udinese’s most dangerous attacking moves often stem from Florian Thauvin. The French playmaker, who wears the number 10 shirt, will have a personal milestone in sight on Sunday as he endeavours to reach 50 assists in Europe’s top five leagues. His first assist dates back to 11 May 2013, when he set up a goal for Bastia against Montpellier.
If Thauvin scores or provides an assist against Napoli, he will set a personal record for goal contributions in a single Serie A season. He currently sits on eight (five goals, three assists), equalling last season’s tally.
Napoli’s defence will also need to keep a close eye on Lucca, as the Italian striker is enjoying the best season of his career. Since scoring his first Serie A header on 3 December 2023 against Hellas Verona, only Duvan Zapata (nine) has netted more headed goals than Lucca (eight, including five this season, a joint league record with Mateo Retegui).
Lucca has scored in his last two Serie A matches (against Roma and Venezia) and could now find the net in three consecutive games for the first time in his career across Europe’s top 10 leagues. The last time he scored in back-to-back matches was in December (against Fiorentina and Torino) and before that in November 2022 while playing for Ajax in the Eredivisie (against PSV and Vitesse).
Article by the Opta editorial team
