Udinese v Catania
Football: Seria A
Venue: Stadio Friulani, Udine
Sunday 22th January – Kickoff time: 15:00 GMT+1

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Udinese (3rd W-10 D-5 L-3)

Udinese could have shared the top spot with Juventus at the moment if they would have preserved their first half lead against Genoa in the previous stage.

Damiano Ferronetti put Udinese in front in the 13th minute, but Genoa came from behind in the second half to win their first game of 2012, scoring three goals in the process.

This was the only time this season when Guidolin’s team conceded more than two goals in a match. Di Natale put his name on the board again, as he usually does, becoming the top scorer of the league with 13 goals so far.

Udinese have been impressive at home this season, still unbeaten and only conceded 3 goals. The only match they failed to win was the one against Juventus which ended in a goalless draw.

Probable Udinese line-up :

Handanovic
Ferronetti, Danilo, Ekstrand
Basta, Isla, Pinzi, Fernandes, Armero
Flores, Di Natale

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Catania (12th W-5 D-7 L-5)

Good news for Vincenzo Montella, as Honduras international David Suazo is set to return to action after having suffered a thigh injury in October that has kept him away ever since. Suazo has only made three appearances this season for the Sicilians.

Catania’s previous league match against AS Roma was abandoned after 65 minutes due to a waterlogged pitch at the Stadio Massimino with the score of 1-1. Catania wasted many opportunities before the match was called off, but they’ll have the chance to score a decider next month when the final 25 minutes will be played.

The Sicilians only won one of their last five Seria A games, but it was an important home victory against rivals Palermo. Catania has been rather modest on the road, only winning once (against Lecce), conceding 19 goals in 9 games.

Probable Catania line-up :

Campagnolo
Potenza, Legrottaglie, Spolli, Marchese
Izco, Lodi, Almiron
Barrientos, Bergessio, Gomez

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The Betting Verdict

With such a great player in front, Udinese are always likely to win games against any opponent from the league, especially at home. There are 10 players working for Di Natale and it seems like every ball will eventually be directed towards him and he made the most of those balls, already scoring 13 goals, half of Udinese’s total goals.

Di Natale is already 34 and I’m not sure what will happen when he’ll decide to end his career, but at the moment he doesn’t look like slowing down, every match just being a reconfirmation of how good he is.

Despite selling some key players last year, Udinese kept their quality when being in possession, showing an offensive display in most of the games. I think that Catania will find it hard to stop them, especially after losing to Bologna on their last travel.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Udinese 1-0 Catania

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Udinese to win at 1.70 Ladbrokes
Confidence: 8/10