Udinese vs Lazio Prediction: Lucca to try his luck again

Udinese started the 2024/25 Serie A season with a creditable 1-1 draw away at Bologna last Sunday, while Lazio began life after Ciro Immobile with a 3-1 victory at home over recently promoted Venezia. The pair meet next at Bluenergy Stadium on Saturday (17:30), with I Bianconeri playing host to the Rome club.

Ahead of this second-round clash in Udine, you can read up on all the latest team news and match odds below, where you will also find my Udinese vs Lazio prediction.

Team News

Gerard Deulofeu has been out injured for over 18 months and is still a fair way from returning for the hosts, while Thomas Kristensen, Damian Pizarro and Alexis Sanchez look set to miss out once again.

Jesper Karlstrom was deployed from the bench a minute after Bologna's Riccardo Orsolini opened the scoring at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara last weekend; Udinese equalised within 10 minutes, so the Swede may be hopeful of making his full debut on Saturday.

Football Odds

Lazio head coach Marco Baroni could opt to name an unchanged starting XI following last week's opening-round win. That would mean successive starts for Taty Castellanos and Mattia Zacagni, who both found the net against Venezia.

Nuno Tavares and Boulaye Dia will hope to make their Lazio debuts after remaining on the bench in Rome.

Udinese vs Lazio Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Udinese vs Lazio page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Udinese are 9/4 to beat Lazio at home for the first time since April 2013, when club legend Antonio Di Natale scored the only goal of the game. Those odds give the hosts an implied win probability of 30.8%, while the visitors are 11/8, or a 42.1% chance, to secure back-to-back wins at the start of the season.

The draw is available at 21/10, both teams to score at 1/1, and over 2.5 total goals at 11/8.

Dia is favourite to score anytime at 21/10, while teammate Castellanos can be backed at 9/4 in the same market.

Lorenzo Lucca is considered Udinese's most likely anytime scorer at 11/4.

Lorenzo Lucca Anytime Scorer @ 11/4

Udinese's 23-year-old striker will be looking to end a nine-game home goal drought in Serie A this weekend, having last found the net at the Bluenergy Stadium in a 3-0 victory over Bologna last December, although he did get on the scoresheet in a 4-0 Coppa Italia thrashing of Serie C side Avelino earlier this month.

Lucca scored eight times in Serie A last season and the seventh of those came against Lazio in a 2-1 win for Udinese at the Stadio Olimpico on March 11. He's only missed one league game since then - against Inter Milan on April 8 due to suspension - starting all 10, and he played the duration of the draw at Bologna, so is clearly a player held in high regard.

The Italian should lead the line again on Saturday and after netting the last time Udinese faced Lazio, he will be confident of breaking his barren run in front of the home fans.

Bet Builder - Udinese or Draw, Hassane Kamara 1+ Shots, Mattia Zacagni 2+ Shots @ 3/1

Udinese's home record was woeful last season; in fact, it was relegation form, as only Salernitana (eight) picked up fewer points at home than their tally of 14 - six fewer than the third-worst (Sassuolo - 20). It was only their strong away form that saved them from the drop, and new head coach Kosta Runjaic will be desperate to turn things around at the Bluenergy Stadium this year.

Lazio won 2-1 at Udinese on January 7 and had the joint-sixth best away record in Serie A, but they did still lose eight games on their travels in the league last term and have since lost some influential figures including Immobile and Felipe Anderson.

It's early days, but a point away to Bologna is a good sign for Udinese, and I think they can avoid defeat at home this weekend.

The second part of this bet builder involves left wing-back Hassane Kamara, who played 82 minutes against Bologna before being substituted for Jordan Zemura.

Kamara is a key player for Udinese, highlighted in the 35 appearances he made last season, and while he only recorded one goal and one assist, he has shown himself to be a danger to the opposition down the left-hand side.

The 30-year-old averaged 0.7 shots per game in the previous league campaign, and in the only match he started against Lazio - the 2-1 win at the Olimpico - the Ivorian took two shots, one which was saved in the 36th minute and one that missed the target in the 47th minute.

Kamara registered a shot in each of his final two home games last season, and I think he can make it three in a row on Saturday.

The third and final selection involves newly-appointed Lazio captain Zaccagni, who has had a rather eventful last few months. The 29-year-old scored a dramatic late equaliser for Italy against Croatia in the group stage of the European Championship, a strike that sent the Italians through to the last 16 of the competition.

Zaccagni returned to his club side in July and scored in each of his first two pre-season friendlies before netting from the penalty spot in his first match as official club captain against Venezia last weekend, putting Lazio in the lead after they had gone behind early on.

Whether he can kick the new campaign off by scoring in his first two appearances, I'm not so sure, but I like his chances of having a couple of shots at least.

Zaccagni registered three shots against Venezia and averaged 1.5 shots per game in Serie A last season. The last meeting between Udinese and Lazio saw him take three shots, all in the first 28 minutes.

Offers

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