Quagliarella glad to miss Gigi
Fabio Quagliarella confesses he couldn't be happier if Juventus face Udinese without the injured Gianluigi Buffon.
“This weekend we are facing another of the big clubs and Udinese cannot fail. It will be a fascinating match.”
In recent weeks the Friulani have slid down the standings following a home defeat to Milan and draw with 10-man Inter.
Juve are also not at the peak of their form after disappointing results against Sampdoria, Catania and Cagliari, so there is every chance of an upset.
“The Bianconeri are a strong side, but if Buffon really isn’t playing, then that is a good omen. Speaking egotistically, it makes me very happy,” added Quagliarella, who scored in Italy’s 3-1 friendly win over Portugal midweek.
Buffon has been out of action for over a week with a back problem and is a major doubt for this Sunday’s battle.
“Even without Buffon, we have to face the fact that you cannot afford a single mistake against Juve, because they will punish you.”
Udinese have complained of refereeing decisions, including last week’s 3-1 loss away to Napoli, but Quagliarella is eager to bring down the temperature.
“We have not been awarded a single penalty this season, but there is no point crying about it.”
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Serie A Preview: Udinese - Juventus
What: Serie A Week 22
Who: Udinese vs Juventus
Where: Stadio Friuli, Udine
When: Sunday February 10, 14.00 CET
Udinese Looking To Do The Double
The Stadio Friuli based side have already beaten the Bianconeri this season. The game in the Olimpico ended 1-0 to the visitors and it was this match which put an early dent in Juve’s title ambitions.
Udinese have done well against the so called big teams and they will be looking to do the double on Juventus following the win earlier this season. Pasquale Marino’s men have designs on the Champions League but a not so great start to the second half of the campaign has seen them slide away from Europe’s elite cup competition.
The Bianconeri have not won in three games and they lost 3-1 to Napoli last week, this perhaps shows a lack of form but at home the side from Friuli have been excellent. They were unlucky not to beat Inter and Milan in their previous two games at home and so they will be hoping to pull one over Serie A’s more famous Bianconeri.
Marino’s men have not managed to enjoy much success against the Old Lady and they have only won three times in 33 encounters. The last time Juve won at the Stadio Friuli was in 2005 when they beat Udinese 1-0.
Juventus have been poor at the back and so Marino may opt to play his attacking 3-4-3 formation with Fabio Quagliarella, Antonio Di Natale and Floro Flores up front. The home side know that Claudio Ranieri’s men have various absentees and if they saw Juve’s performance against Cagliari last week they will be confident of causing an upset against the side from Turin.
Udinese know that a poor result here will mean that they can forget about making the Champions League. Anything less than a win will not be good enough for Marino’s men.
Juventus In Crisis
The Stadio Friuli has been a tough ground for many of Serie A’s big teams this season and it will be the same for the Old Lady. Juve have been in dire form recently and last week they struggled to get a point at home with rock bottom Cagliari. Ranieri’s men have collected only six points in four games and for a team chasing the Champions League this is not good enough.
Last week’s slip up allowed the Rossoneri to move closer towards Juve and so the side from Turin know that they have to obtain maximum points in Udine to give them some respite.
Ranieri could be without Alessandro Del Piero, so it looks as if Vicenzo Iaquinta may partner David Trezeguet. Iaquinta will be hoping to impress his coach as well as get one against the team he played for during his seven year stay in Friuli.
Del Piero has also been poor and he will hope to bounce back against Udine in a venue which almost ended his career in 1998 when he suffered a serious injury here. Ranieri has several injuries to deal with and it seems as if Juve may struggle to field a strong starting XI. Despite this the Bianconeri will be confident of getting a result given their near perfect record against the Friulani.
Mauro Camoranesi should be back for the Bianconeri and this is a major boost for Juve who need the player to be at his best in order to frustrate the home side. Iaquinta is good in the air so Camoranesi’s crosses should be the key to unlocking the Udinese back line.
Form Guide
Udinese
03/02 (Serie A) Napoli-Udinese 3-1
30/01 (Coppa Italia) Catania-Udinese 2-1
27/01 (Serie A) Udinese-Inter 0-0
23/01 (Coppa Italia): Udinese-Catania 3-2
20/01 (Serie A): Udinese-Milan 0-1
Juventus
03/02 (Serie A): Juventus-Cagliari 1-1
27/01 (Serie A): Livorno-Juventus 1-3
23/01 (Coppa Italia): Inter-Juventus 2-2
20/01 (Serie A): Juventus-Sampdoria 0-0
15/01 (Coppa Italia): Juventus-Empoli 5-3
Players To Watch
Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus)
The forward will be returning to his old home and he is looking to show Ranieri that he can take Trezeguet’s place as the big target man up front.
Antonio Di Natale (Udinese)
The little striker will be using all his skill and pace in order to frustrate the Bianconeri’s defence. Di Natale is the complete forward and Juventus will need to watch his movement of the ball.
Team News
Udinese: Dias Felipe is banned and Pinzi, Mesto and Obodo are all injured. Asamoah is still not back from the African Cup of Nations.
Juventus: Stendardo and Chiellini are set to miss out. Buffon is very slightly doubtful, but should make it. Alessandro Del Piero is unlikely to start.
Probable Line Ups:
Udinese: Handanovic; Coda, Zapata, Lukovic; Ferronetti, D’Agostino, Inler, Dossena; Floro Flores, Quagliarella, Di Natale
Juventus: Buffon; Salihamidzic, Legrottaglie, Grygera, Molinaro; Camoranesi, Nocerino, Zanetti, Nedved; Trezeguet, Iaquinta
Prediction: Udinese 1-2 Juventus
Both teams are in desperate need of some points so a draw seems likely. However Juventus have enough quality in their side to be able to put together a good performance and come away with all three points.
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