Serie A: Milan to Kick On in Udine

Udinese vs AC Milan

Fourth hosts fifth at the Blue Energy Stadium on Saturday night when the Serie A match between Udinese and AC Milan kicks off under the lights.

Both teams have recorded back-to-back wins in the run-up to this clash, and while Milan are regular eaters at the top table of Italian football, it’s a relatively rare occasion for Le Zebrette. Austrian head coach Kosta Runjaic guided Udinese to a 12th-place finish last term, only four places behind Milan. But while Udinese may be impostors, I Rossoneri have a chance to challenge for the title again this season.

Not only do AC Milan have a much easier schedule than their rivals, all embroiled in European competition, but they have appointed a serial Scudetto winner in Max Allegri, five-time champion as Juventus manager, and five-time Coppa Italia winner and, by the way, he also won the Scudetto with AC Milan way back in 2011.

Can Allegri bring back the glory days to the San Siro Stadium? Only time will tell, but all his focus this weekend will be on the next test, and Udinese will be ready to ask him plenty of questions.

Talking Points

Udinese are a team of fighters

The pre-match Serie A 2025 betting odds say I Rossoneri will win on Saturday, but they face a team that exceeds the sum of its individual parts, which, at home, will be a very tough nut to crack.

Udinese hope to defy the odds and win at home against AC Milan in an upcoming Serie A clash — Udinese’s Jesper Karlstrom fights for the ball against Juventus players during their Serie A match back in November 2024

Captained by Swedish midfielder Jesper Karlstrom, this is a team with few household names, save for Azzurri star Nicolo Zaniolo. The ex-Roma attacking midfielder is on loan from Galatasaray and, at 26 years of age, is in his prime, so he would dearly like to make his mark against one of the Serie A elite.

In defence, 6’4” French centre back Oumar Solet will stand alongside the Great Dane, Thomas Kristensen, who is even taller at 6’6”, so Milan will think twice before flinging early balls into the penalty area, which I suspect will be meat and drink to these two.

And Udinese can bite too when they get the chance. Just ask Inter Milan, who fell to a 2-1 defeat to Le Zebrette just three weeks ago.

Modric can be so good for Milan

Over in Milan, there was a summer arrival of one of the most famous names in football when Croatian legend and Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric walked through the door. Now 40 years of age, the former Real Madrid star will be used carefully, but he’s already made his mark, scoring the only goal in I Rossoneri’s meeting with Bologna last week.

That win made it six points from three games for Milan so far, not a bad return after they fell to a shock 2-1 home defeat to Cremonese on the opening day. Milan recovered to beat Lecce 2-0, and then Bologna, and a win in Udine would lift them into the top four.

In a side that boasts the stellar talents of Christian Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot, Pervis Estupian, and Christopher Nkunku, Modric is sure to feature in the Serie A 2025 highlights. He still displays an aura of cool excellence, doing the basics better than anyone, but also with the ability to win any game with a moment of magic.

Modric and co. really need to gather some momentum quickly. While Inter Milan, Juventus, Atalanta, and Napoli were in Champions League action this week, I Rossoneri had time to plan and prepare, and now they need to become relentless in their climb back from relative mid-table obscurity.

History

AC Milan is a proud club with a rich history in Italy and abroad, as a 19-time Scudettto winner and seven-time champions of Europe. In contrast, Udinese’s past is more humble, as a three-time Serie B winner and a three-time Serie C winner.

But the underdogs have had plenty of success in this fixture. AC Milan have won 22 to Udinese’s 15 in all competitions since 2003, though last season, I Rossoneri completed a comprehensive double, following up a 1-0 victory at the San Siro Stadium before hammering Le Zebrette 4-0 in Udine.

With three wins and a draw from their first four games this season, Udinese are edging the form table against Milan, who have picked up three wins and a defeat.