Its not often you would say a clash between Udinese and Inter is truly intriguing especially at this stage of the season, however that’s exactly what it is.
 

Udinese are flying high at the moment and coming off a December to remember, with 3 wins and a credible draw away at Sampdoria.French forward Cyril Thereau is the star man and he is in fine form for the Zebrette, with 8 goals already this campaign which puts him well on track to break his previous Serie A record of 11. It’s not only up front were they’re looking good but also at the back, with only one goal conceded which came last month against Atalanta.


 

Luigi Delneri likes to play with a traditional back four with the likes of Brazilian duo Felipe and Danilo likely to start in front of the in- form Greek shot stopper Orestis Karnezis. In midfield it will be worth keeping an eye on Seko Fofana, who has produced some stunning strikes this season.

 

Unfortunately for Udinese but fortunate for the neutral, Inter are also in sparkling form, with four wins from four and only one goal conceded, which came against Sparta Prague in the Europa League. Since then they have racked up impressive wins over Genoa, Sassuolo and high-flying Lazio without having their own goal breached. Miranda, Jeison Murillo and Samir Handanovic have been ever present in all those shut outs and should start the match. 
 

Having tampered with different formations in those victories, it seems likely Stefano Pioli will stick with a 4-2-3-1 set up, following Ever Banega’s best performance of the season in a number 10 role, behind Mauro Icardi against Lazio. The Argentine scored an absolute cracker from outside the box before setting up Mauro Icardi with a smartly taken free kick for the 3rd goal; the Nerazzurri fans will be hoping he can continue that form against Udinese. 


 

Captain Icardi’s season off the pitch may not be up to form this season but on it, he’s been explosive. 14 goals have got him leading the race for another Capocannoniere, including a brace last time out against Lazio. Another Inter player in fine form is Croatian Marcelo Brozovic who has played in all of the Nerazzurri’s last 3 wins in Serie A whilst helping himself to two goals against Genoa, proving he is well worth the recent contract extension. 
 

Another interesting factor of this match will be to see how much ( if any), game time Gabriel “Gabigol” Barboasa gets, especially after scoring in a midweek friendly fixture for Inter. He entered the fray in the 86th minute against Lazio despite them already being 3-0 in 20 minutes. 

 

With these two sides in great form, let’s hope the Christmas break has done nothing to change that and all watching at the Friuli and on TV are treated to an enjoyable encounter.

 

Probable starting line-ups:                                  

 

Udinese: 4-3-3 Karnezis;Widmer, Danilo, Felipe, Samir; Jankto, Kums, Fofana; Ryder, Zapata, Thereau 

 

Inter Milan: 4-2-3-1 Handanovic;D’Ambrosio, Miranda, Murillo, Ansaldi; Brozovic, Kondogbia; Candreva, Banega, Perisic;

Icardi