Coppa Italia: Inter Milan May Exploit Udinese’s Frailties

Inter Milan vs Udinese

Inter Milan will begin their 2024-24 Coppa Italia campaign with a Round of 16 matchup against Udinese on Thursday at San Siro. Simone Inzaghi’s side is in it to win the whole thing after failing to defend their crown last season. After losing 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen during their last Champions League match last Wednesday, Inter Milan bounced back in a huge way yesterday by demolishing Lazio 6-0 in their latest Serie A game, giving them a major confidence boost.

Udinese got this far by beating Avelino (4-0) and Salernitana (3-1) in the first two rounds of the competition. However, since then, they’ve had mixed results. The Friulians have only won one of their last seven games, so they’re the major underdogs coming into this contest. This is undoubtedly a big challenge for Kosta Runjaic’s team, but can they pull off a miracle on the road this week?

 

Talking Points

Inter Milan back at their goalscoring best

Inter Milan suffered a brief setback against Bayer Leverkusen after going scoreless for the first time since a goalless draw against Manchester City in the opening matchday of this year’s Champions League last September. Simone Inzaghi’s men vented their ire on Lazio, scoring six goals and conceded none on the other end.

Six players were on the scoresheet for the Nerazzurri, as Hakan Calhanoglu, Federico Dimarco, Nicolo Barella, Denzel Dumfries, Carlos Augusto, and Marcus Thuram all netted. Inter Milan were efficient in the final third, as six of their seven shots on target turned into goals (12 total shots). With the victory over Lazio, Inter Milan have now scored 47 Serie A away goals in 2024, setting a new record for goals scored away from home in a calendar year in the top-flight.

Marcus Thuram is leading the way for Inter Milan with 11 league goals, putting him firmly in the Capocannionere race. The former Borussia Monchengladbach star is trailing only by one goal behind Atalanta’s Mateo Retegui. Lautaro Martinez is not having a great season based on his lofty standards, but his five-goal total is not bad at all.

 

Udinese have a growing absentee list

Udinese are in poor recent form (compared to Inter Milan) because they’re missing several key players. Despite this, Kosta Runjaic’s side is still in the Top 10 as the ninth seed with 20 points. Maduka Odoye became the latest addition to the team’s worrying injury list alongside Keinan Davis, Oier Zarraga, Gerard Deulofeu, and Martin Payero. Meanwhile, Isaak Toure recently returned in the squad during the team’s 3-1 loss to Napoli after he served his suspension.

The Friulians will continue to rely on Lorenzo Lucca and Florian Thauvin to produce for the squad. Lucca is Udinese’s top scorer with five league goals, and Thauvin has four league goals and a joint-team high two assists. Jordan Zemura is the team’s x-factor, as the young left-back already has one league goal and two assists.

 

History

Inter Milan have already defeated Udinese this season, as the former won 3-2 over the latter last September 28. Davide Frattesi and Lautaro Martinez (brace) scored for the Nerazzurri, while Christian Kabasele and Lorenzo Lucca scored for the Friulians. Inter Milan now have a four-game winning streak over Udinese. The last time Udinese beat Inter Milan was a 3-1 result in a Serie A Match in September 2022.

The Nerazzurri are the joint-second winningest side in Coppa Italia history, with nine trophies alongside AS Roma. They recently completed a successful repeat from 2022 to 2023 before losing 2-1 to Bologna in the Round of 16 last term.

Udinese have never won the Coppa Italia, although they’ve made it to the final once in 1922, losing to Vado.

 

Betting Tip

The Coppa Italia 2024 odds predict a straightforward victory for the hosts on Thursday. The Nerazzurri are 1.30 favourites to win, while the Friulians are 7.60 underdogs, and a draw is priced at 4.99 in the 1X2 market.

It’s fair to say that SBOTOP football fans can expect goals and Coppa Italia 2024 highlights from this fixture, based on the trend of their recent meetings, as Inter Milan and Udinese have scored at least three goals between them in each of their last six encounters.

Besides our recommended bet above, bettors can also go for Over 2.75 at 1.76, Over 3.00 at 2.05, Total Goal 2-3 at 2.08, or even Total Goal 4-6 at 2.68. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 3-2 in favour of the hosts – the result of their first matchup this season – has a mouthwatering 30.00 offer.

   

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