Serie A
Udinese vs Como kicks off at 17:30 [GMT+1] on Saturday, August 22, at the Bluenergy Stadium. Udinese will begin their Serie A campaign with Saturday’s clash against Como, where they hope to get off to a flying start. Le Zebrette finished in 10th place last term, having picked up 50 points. The home side has already tasted competitive football following a 1-0 win over Padova in the Coppa Italia round of 64 last Saturday, courtesy of a goal from Keinan Davis [35’]. The last time both sides met was on April 6, 2026, when they drew 0-0 at the Bluenergy Stadium. Como won the previous meeting 1-0 in January. Udinese enter this encounter with an average home record, collecting 1.33 points per home match. Their task is to improve that return against a Como side that established itself as one of Serie A's strongest performers last season. Udinese, however, have already demonstrated their ability to frustrate Como at the Bluenergy Stadium. They took four points from their two recent home league meetings with them, winning 1-0 in September 2024 before the goalless draw last April. A 3—4—2—1 formation with Keinan Davis in attack is expected against Como. Zaniolo and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp could form an attacking duo behind the Englishman. Christian Kabasele is suspended for this fixture. Giorgi Chakvetadze and Alessandro Zanoli are both ruled out of this opening encounter.
Como finished last season strongly enough to earn Champions League football after a fourth-place finish. While a higher place finish could be overly ambitious with having to deal with European commitments this season, I Lariani, will be eager to match last season’s success. Their defensive work was particularly impressive during the previous campaign. By Matchday 31, Como had conceded only 22 goals, the best defensive record in Serie A at that stage. They had also collected 24 points during the second half of the season, level with Inter for the highest total in the division over that period. Saturday’s opener against Udinese couldn't have come at a better time, with the recent head-to-head record handing Como a narrow advantage. Across the four Serie A meetings in the supplied data, Como recorded two victories and lost one, while another match ended level. Victory over Udinese would leave the visitors with back-to-back opening day victories, having picked up a 2-0 win over Lazio on Match Day 1 last term. Tasos Douvikas is expected at the attacking end of 4—2—3—1 formation when Como makes their appearance. Jayden Addai is ruled out due to injury.