Sabasports Match Preview
Serie A: Udinese vs Hellas Verona
Kickoff Time: 2025-08-26 00:30 (HKT)
Source: REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
Last season, Udinese finished in 12th place, 13 points above the relegation zone. In the summer transfer window, the team made significant changes to their squad. Key defenders Jaka Bijol, forward Lorenzo Lucca (who scored 12 goals and provided one assist), winger Florian Thauvin (eight goals and three assists), and central midfielder Martín Payero (25 appearances) all left the club. On the transfer market, Udinese signed attacking midfielder Lennon Miller from Scottish side Motherwell, center-back Saba Goglichidze from Empoli, and center-back Nicolo Bertola from Spezia. However, no major signings were made in the forward line. Overall, the team’s strength has weakened. Currently, the top 10 most expensive players on the squad are all defensive players, and it is expected that Udinese will continue with a counter-attacking strategy.
Last season, Hellas Verona finished in 14th place, just six points above the relegation zone. Due to financial limitations, the team sold off several key players during the summer transfer window. Right-back Jackson Tchatchoua (36 starts), center-backs Diego Coppola (33 starts), Daniele Ghilardi (21 starts), Paweł Dawidowicz (24 starts), midfielder Ondrej Duda (27 starts), and midfielder Darko Lazovic (27 appearances) all left the club. It’s no exaggeration to say that Verona lost six regular starters, and the defense is now in need of rebuilding. On the transfer market, Verona signed defender Rafik Belghali from the Belgian league, midfielder Yellu Santiago from Rayo Vallecano in La Liga, and forward Giovane, who isn’t getting much playing time in Brazil, as well as loaning Victor Nelsson from Galatasaray in Turkey. Overall, Verona’s strength has dropped more significantly than Udinese. Currently, Verona’s first-team squad is valued at 64.73 million euros, ranking second-to-last in Serie A, and they may have to start their relegation battle early in the season.
In pre-season friendlies, Udinese defeated teams like Strasbourg, Twente, and Werder Bremen from top European leagues, showing good form, and has won five consecutive matches in all competitions. In contrast, Verona was held to a draw by a Serie B team, South Tyrol, then lost to German side St. Pauli. In the first round of the Coppa Italia, they were also held to a draw by a Serie C team, Chieri, and had to win via a penalty shootout to advance. This indicates that Verona’s pre-season preparation was not sufficient. Playing at home, Udinese is unlikely to miss the chance to take all three points.
Udinese’s Last 5 Games: WLLLW
25-08-19 Udinese 2-0 Carrarese
25-05-26 Udinese 2-3 Fiorentina
25-05-19 Juventus 2-0 Udinese
25-05-11 Udinese 1-2 Monza
25-05-03 Cagliari 1-2 Udinese
Hellas Verona‘s Last 5 Games: DWDDL
25-08-19 Audace Cerignola 1-1 Hellas Verona (PEN 2-4)
25-05-26 Empoli 1-2 Hellas Verona
25-05-19 Hellas Verona 1-1 Como 1907
25-05-11 Hellas Verona 1-1 Lecce
25-05-04 Inter 1-0 Hellas Verona
Head-To-Head Record
25-03-15 Udinese 0-1 Hellas Verona
25-01-05 Hellas Verona 0-0 Udinese
24-04-21 Hellas Verona 1-0 Udinese
23-12-03 Udinese 3-3 Hellas Verona
23-01-31 Udinese 1-1 Hellas Verona
Prediction: Udinese to win