UDINESE v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW

After two wins with clean sheets, AC Milan are looking for consistency on their travels to Udine, facing Udinese who are unbeaten in their first three games of the season. It's not one to miss, and kick-off at the Bluenergy Stadium will be at 20:45 CEST. Let's get ready for it with our Match Preview.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
Two convincing wins against Lecce and Bologna, both great in terms of defensive showings, boosted morale in the Rossoneri camp ahead of three matches in the space of eight days. After third-placed Udinese in the league, AC Milan will face Lecce in the Coppa Italia before a huge contest against Napoli at San Siro. For the trip to Udine, there's another absentee to add to the already-known injuries of Leão and Jashari: Mike Maignan misses out (Strahinja Pavlović has, however, shaken off the knock he picked up against Bologna), with Pietro Terracciano ready to play between the sticks. In midfield, Allegri is likely to stick with a trio of Loftus-Cheek (or Fofana), Modrić and Rabiot. Further forward, there's competition for places, with Pulisic, Nkunku and Gimenez battling for two spots in the team's 3-5-2 formation. Allegri is suspended (the only Rossoneri suspension), meaning Landucci will be in the dugout.

"A tough and important match awaits," said our coach. "Udinese are a very physical and technical side, and it's not an easy place to go. We need consistency, but we have professional players who are prepared for this game. We must stay level-headed, knowing that the norm for AC Milan in winning matches. We'll need to be compact and show our quality, always staying focused and dealing with their physicality as best as possible. Substitutes will also be important."

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LATEST FROM UDINESE
The Bianconeri have had a very positive start to the season: seven points from their first three league games made up of two away victories over Inter and Pisa, and a home draw with Hellas Verona, as well as progressing to the next round of the Coppa Italia after beating Carrarese. Their line-up has been largely the same for their first three matches: from their defensive trio (Solet, Kristensen and Bertola) with Sava in net, to their attacking pair of Davis and Bravo, and a midfield consisting of Atta, Karlström and Piotrowski. On the wings, there are Ehizibue (selected over Zanoli) and Kamara, likely to start over Zemura. Udinese have no suspended players (except Okoye, out until mid-October), with Bayo and Lovrić back available after their injuries.

"We're pleased with the start to the season, but the league is long, and we have to take it one game at a time," said Kosta Runjaić on the eve of the match. "We'll try to put in a good performance while keeping our feet on the ground. AC Milan have changed a lot compared to last year: I've liked what I've seen so far; they're a balanced side with top players and will finish high up the table. It'll be a tough game, but we can't wait to play it. Modrić is crucial for them: his movement is spot on, and he pulls the strings in midfield."

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PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• AC Milan have won their last three league games against Udinese with a total score of 8-2. The Rossoneri have only managed more consecutive wins against the Friulani once in Serie A history: seven times between 1998 and 2001. AC Milan also won their last two trips to Udine, after only winning two in the seven top flight meetings before that (2D, 3L). 
• Allegri's side have not conceded in their last two league games, and they could get three clean sheets in a row for the first time in Serie A since February 2023. 
• AC Milan are the team with the lowest number of shots faced (16), as well as the side with the lowest expected goals against (0.7) in all of Europe's top five leagues so far this season.
• Following his goal last time out in Serie A, Luka Modrić could score for two games in the row for the third time in his career in Europe's top five leagues, after managing it with Real Madrid in January 2019 and December 2020. Furthermore, after assisting against Lecce, and scoring against Bologna, the Croatian could be involved in a goal for three games in a row for the first time since December 2020.

WHERE TO WATCH UDINESE v AC MILAN
In Italy, the game will be broadcast on DAZN, Sky Sport and NOW. To watch in a different country, visit the "AC Milan on TV" page and consult the section under "Abroad". On the Rossoneri's channels, matchday coverage on Milan TV will begin at 20:00 CEST, leading up to kick-off, followed by interviews and a press conference with Massimiliano Allegri. Don't miss our coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App, our social media channels and WhatsApp.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
An experienced official will take charge of the game: Daniele Doveri has refereed 246 Serie A games, 31 of them involving AC Milan (the last of which was our 3-2 win in Lecce last March). Fun fact: it is Doveri's third time taking charge of Udinese v AC Milan, after September 2015 (2-3 to us) and March 2023 (3-1 to the Bianconeri). The linesmen will be Cecconi and Scatragli, with Di Marco performing the role of fourth official. Meraviglia, assisted by Maresca, will oversee VAR. 

Serie A Matchday 4 began on Friday 19 September with Lecce 1-2 Cagliari. Other than Udinese v AC Milan at 20:45 CEST, today, there will also be Bologna v Genoa at 15:00 CEST and Hellas Verona v Juventus at 18:00 CEST. Sunday's action will open with the Derby della Capitale, Lazio v Roma, at 12:30 CEST, with Torino v Atalanta (15.00 CEST), Cremonese v Parma (15.00 CEST), Fiorentina v Como (18:00 CEST) and Inter v Sassuolo (20:45 CEST) to follow. The final game of the weekend will be Napoli v Pisa at 20:45 CEST on Monday.

This is the current table: Napoli and Juventus 9; Cremonese, Udinese and Cagliari* 7; AC Milan and Roma 6; Atalanta 5; Como and Torino 4; Inter, Lazio, Bologna and Sassuolo 3; Genoa, Fiorentina and Hellas Verona 2; Pisa, Parma and Lecce* 1. ^{(*= one more match played)}

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