Udinese vs Roma Prediction: Malen the man for Champions League chasers?

Roma secured a top-eight finish in the Europa League on Thursday night, and return to Serie A action on Monday night as they travel to face Udinese (19:45 GMT). 

Udinese are mid-table, while Roma will look to stay in contention for the Champions League places. Below you can find my Udinese vs Roma predictions featuring team news and more. 

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Team News

For the hosts, Nicolo Zaniolo looks set to miss out again, as the Italian is expected to get back in training next week. As a result, Arthur Atta should continue to support Keinan Davis up top, with the former Aston Villa man now on 10 goal contributions for the season. 

Adam Buksa and Jakub Piotrowski are out, while Hassane Kamara faces a late fitness test. 

Roma are in a difficult moment when it comes to injuries, with Manu Kone out for three weeks and dynamic frontman Paulo Dybala suffering with a knee injury. Dybala has 21 goals in 22 Serie A games against Udinese so will be missed, while Artem Dovbyk, Evan Ferguson and Stephan El Shaarawy could also miss out. 

It gives Gian Piero Gasperini a weakened hand up top although he will be delighted to be able to use both new arrivals,  Robino Vaz and Donyell Malen in this one - after they were cup-tied in the Europa League on Thursday. Defender Mario Hermoso is also back in training and could feature.

Football Odds

Udinese vs Roma Odds

Udinese are priced at 3/1 to win this game, with Roma the clear favourites at 19/20. That gives the away side an implied win probability of 51%, while a draw can be backed at 23/10. 

There are plenty of Price Boosts and Bet Builders that you can find on the link above, and over 2.5 goals has been priced up at 6/5 for this clash. 

Donyell Malen to score anytime @ 6/4

The former Villa forward left for Roma this month in search of more gametime, and despite missing the midweek Europa League exploits due to his exploits with his former club in the same competition, he should come straight back in for this one. 

Malen is a dynamic forward who has already opened his Roma account, scoring on his away debut at Torino in a 2-0 win. There’s an argument to be made that he could be more effective away from home, given defences may push higher up and give him room in behind, and that’s a theory I’m happy to follow here.

Today's Football Fixtures

Roma to win @ 19/20

It’s a basic second selection, but I think Roma to win at near EVS offers the best value for this Serie A encounter. Roma are unbeaten in their last four games, and they’ve won four of their last six in the league. 

Udinese meanwhile have only picked up 13 points from 11 games at home this term, and they’ve only managed 11 home goals during that time - so I think an away victory to nil is the most likely outcome. For my second selection however, I will play things safe and simply back a Roma win.