Chievo Verona vs. Udinese Calcio – Di Natale’s Champions League ambitions – Serie A Preview
Chievo Verona and Udinese Calcio will lock heads in an important encounter on Sunday, May 15, at Stadio Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi. Both teams would accept a win with both hands but Udinese are desperate for three points as they tirelessly
hunt the final UEFA Champions League berth.
Chievo Verona
Stefano Pioli’s side will head into Sunday’s game, 12th in the League table with 43 points. The Yellow-Blues would like to take a win out of this game in order to regain some sort of momentum before the end to current 2010/11 campaign.
Chievo will be left with one game after this assignment and the coach would like to get maximum points out from their remaining two games including this one. They have just recorded ten wins from 36 games so far this season, a major reason behind the team’s
mid-table mediocrity.
In their last five games, Yellow-Blues have registered just two wins to go along with the two losses. Their most recent game, against Juventus, ended in a 2-2 draw. They have scored just the 35 times during the season while 37 have been scored against them.
Udinese Calcio
Francesco Guidolin’s side would desperately want to register a win over Chievo which will keep his team in the race for a fourth place finish. The visitors are 5th in the League table with 62 points and a win here could propel them into fourth
and the final Champions League spot.
The White-Blacks have a possible of six points up their sleeves and could earn themselves a certain finish in top four should they attain maximum points. Unlike their opponents, Udinese have recorded 19 wins from 36 matches. In their last five games, the
visitors have notched up just two wins while the other three ended in a loss. They have netted an amazing 63 goals this season as compared to the 43 that were scored against them.
Team News
Chievo Verona
The home team are expected to go in with a 5-3-2 formation. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Stefano-Sorrentino-c34066 will be guarding the net
for Yellow-Blues.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Udinese-Calcio-c40789
The visitors will be going in with 3-5-2 formation. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Samir-Handanovic-c32356 will start in goal for the little zebras.
Players to Watch
The home side will heavily depend upon their striker Pellissier, who has 10 goals in the campaign so far and would look to add to his tally in order to restore some lost momentum. The Italian would be under pressure due to high hopes pinned upon him by the
home fans.
The visitors would count upon the abilities of Di Natale, who has had more than a decent 2010/11 season, scoring 28 goals in the campaign. He would be a huge threat for the home side as he has won Udinese quite a few games almost singlehandedly.
Prediction
Though playing on an away turf can put pressure on the Zebrette, the desire to play in the Champions League could draw extra flare out of the visitors. The little zebras are odds on favourites to win this tie and a 3-1 final score line doesn’t sound farfetched.
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