Preview: Udinese vs. Lazio - prediction, team news, lineups

Lazio will travel to Udinese on Sunday afternoon hoping to claim their first away victory in Serie A since January and move closer to the Champions League qualification places.

Meanwhile, the Zebrette have put together a strong run of form at the Stadio Friuli, keeping clean sheets in each of their last four games and winning each of their last three.

Match preview

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Udinese extended their unbeaten league run to five matches with a 1-1 draw away at Genoa last weekend.

Rodrigo De Paul's converted penalty rescued a point for the visitors after they conceded an early goal through Goran Pandev and that result saw the Zebrette climb into the top half of the table for the first time since mid-December.

Luca Gotti's side have improved during the second half of this season, accumulating 15 points from their last eight matches, with only Inter Milan, Juventus, Atalanta and Napoli picking up more points in that period.

Udinese have already beaten Lazio in the reverse fixture earlier this season, winning 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico, and are looking to claim their first league double against the Aquile since the 2004-05 campaign.

The Zebrette's chances of securing a top-six place are extremely unlikely but claiming another victory this weekend and continuing their impressive run of form could provide a strong platform that they can build on heading into next season.

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Lazio's Champions League run was seemingly over when they were convincingly beaten 4-1 against current holders Bayern Munich three weeks ago, and their elimination from the competition at the round of 16 stage was confirmed on Wednesday night when they lost 2-1 in the second leg, going down 6-2 on aggregate.

Simone Inzaghi's side will now be fully focused on the final 12 Serie A matches of the campaign, with the Aquile embroiled in another battle to qualify for the top four.

Lazio had lost ground in the race for European qualification after a run of three league defeats from four games, but they bounced back against basement club Crotone last Friday, with Felipe Caicedo's late winner securing a slender 3-2 victory on home soil.

The Biancocelesti are currently six points behind Atalanta, who currently occupy fourth place, and Inzaghi will be aware that performances must improve if they are to avoid slipping further behind.

Lazio travel to Udinese having lost each of their last three Serie A away games, conceding eight goals in the process.

Ending this run with a victory on Sunday would see the Aquile remain in seventh and move to within one point of city rivals Roma.

Team News

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Udinese centre-back Samir is currently nursing a thigh strain so will be unavailable for Sunday's match, while Ignacio Pussetto, Thomas Ouwejan and Gerard Deulofeu are all absent with injuries.

Nahuel Molina is expected to keep his place at left wing-back ahead of Marvin Zeegelaar, while attacking midfielder Roberto Pereyra could continue in his role just behind target man Fernando Llorente.

Lazio defenders Luiz Felipe (ankle) and Mohamed Fares (knee) are both unavailable for selection, but Manuel Lazzari could be in contention to start if he passes a late fitness test after suffering with a calf problem.

Lucas Leiva and Ciro Immobile were both rested in midweek but are expected to start this weekend at the expense of Gonzalo Escalante and Joaquin Correa respectively.

Udinese possible starting lineup:
Musso; Becao, Bonifazi, Nuytinck; Molina, De Paul, Arslan, Walace, Larsen; Pereyra; Llorente

Lazio possible starting lineup:
Reina; Patric, Acerbi, Radu; Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Leiva, Alberto, Marusic; Caicedo, Immobile

We say: Udinese 2-2 Lazio

Lazio will be keen to build on their victory over Crotone as they hope to stay in contention for a return to European competition next season.

However, they face a difficult challenge against an in-form Udinese outfit, who are set to cause problems once again, as they did against the Aquile in November. We can see both teams scoring on Sunday, but neither side may have enough to take all three points at the Stadio Friuli.