Sampdoria vs Udinese prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-01-21 11:30.
Sampdoriaâs improbable chances of avoiding relegation took a hit on Monday night, as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at Empoli to put them on single figures after 18 Serie A (SA) rounds for the first time in their history. Their gap to safety now stands at seven points, though last seasonâs survival of Salernitana â who were five adrift of 17th at the same stage â may inspire them, despite a preceding run of five straight SA home defeats âto-nilâ.
Several January window reinforcements may help to turn the tide, with the likes of loanees Sam Lammers and Alessandro Zanoli already arriving to provide extra options up top and out wide respectively. The latterâs defensive qualities could also be useful if utilised correctly, especially as the Blucerchiati have recorded just one shutout in 16 SA rounds!
Starting the week sitting nine points behind the top-seven, Udinese need a huge change of luck if they are to re-enter the UEFA competitions after nearly a decade of absence. This year has been unkind to them so far (D1, L2), making them winless in 11 overall, but moves on the transfer front to stem this run havenât really materialised as yet, despite the lack of positive results in recent times.
Making a strong start on the road remains an issue, with a second-minute strike at Milan in their 2022/23 opener (L 2-4) still their only goal on hostile turf prior to the half-hour mark. Yet, theyâve already won three SA away games after conceding first – a tally only matched by leaders Napoli ahead of the round â meaning that they can never be totally dismissed.
Players to watch: Filip ÄuriÄiÄ is still Sampdoriaâs joint-top scorer this term on just two goals, with both efforts being second-half equalisers (for 1-1) via his head. Another agent of ill fortune for teams scoring first is Beto, who gave Udinese the lead in a 2-1 loss last time out, with a majority of his seven goals this term (four) changing the scoreline to 1-1.
Hot stat: Sampdoria are the only team never to have scored in both halves of a SA game so far this term.