Serie A preview: Udinese, Juve in heavyweight battle

Table-toppers Juventus travel to Udinese in the pick of the mid-week matches in Serie A.

Siena host Fiorentina while Milan travel to Cagliari on Tuesday, but the focus is all on Juve’s clash with the third-placed Udinese on Wednesday.

Both sides have excelled this season and will enter the match on the back of lengthy unbeaten runs.

Juve are unbeaten in 17 matches in all competitions, with their last defeat coming at Parma in May, while Udinese have avoided defeat for six matches in succession.

The key behind the success for both teams has been their impressive defensive records, with Udinese possessing the best defence in the league that has conceded just nine goals in 15 matches.

Juventus are next best, having shipped just 11 strikes, while they have scored on 27 occasions this season which sees them only second behind Milan.

Antonio Conte’s side will have happy memories of their last visit to the Stadio Friuli – at which they won 4-0 – but in the two clashes before that it was Udinese who were victorious.

Udinese forward Antonio di Natale is enjoying another successful season with 10 league goals this campaign, while much of Juventus’ success has come thanks to the midfield trio of Claudio Marchisio, Simone Pepe and Arturo Vidal who have scored 13 times between them this campaign.

With Juve two points ahead of Milan and Udinese, a loss could see Conte’s men replaced by a new side at the top of the table.

And Milan will be hoping that is them, as they travel to Cagliari side who has won just one of their past five matches.

Milan have been free scoring this season, averaging more than two goals a game, but they may face a sterner test against a Cagliari side who have – statistically – the fourth-best defence in the competition.

Siena’s battle with Fiorentina pits two sides in the bottom six against each other, while on Wednesday, fourth-placed Lazio entertain Chievo and Inter host cellar-dwellers Lecce.

Napoli will be tested despite hosting Genoa, the under-performing Roma are at Bologna and Catania travel to Parma.

Atalanta will tackle Cesena and Novara are set to battle with Palermo in other fixtures.