Udinese host Venezia in Coppa Italia clash in Udine
Udinese and Venezia met on Tuesday, September 2, in a Coppa Italia knockout tie in Udine, with the winner advancing to face Maurizio Sarri's Atalanta. Sources disagree on both the exact kick-off time and the round designation.
Background
Udinese hosted Venezia on Tuesday, September 2, in a Coppa Italia knockout fixture. The winner advances to face Maurizio Sarri's Atalanta in the next round, according to Il Messaggero. Sources differ on the kick-off time: ToffeeWeb lists 17:00 local time, while Il Messaggero states 18:00 local time. There is also a discrepancy over the venue name — ToffeeWeb and Goal.com refer to the Dacia Arena, while Il Messaggero calls it the BluEnergy Stadium; both agree the match was played in Udine. The round designation also varies: ToffeeWeb calls it the second round, while Il Messaggero refers to it as the round of 32.
Form heading into the tie
Udinese arrived in strong form, having won four of their last five matches across all competitions, including a 1-0 win over Padova in the previous cup round and a 3-2 away victory at Monza in Serie A. Venezia, by contrast, had yet to pick up a Serie A point, losing 0-2 to both Lecce and AC Milan without scoring. In the cup, however, Venezia showed some fight, coming from behind to beat Modena 3-2.
Lineups
Il Messaggero published the probable starting lineups: Udinese set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation with Okoye in goal, while Venezia lined up in a 3-5-2 with Montipò between the posts. Neither manager — Kosta Runjaic (Udinese) or Giovanni Stroppa (Venezia) — had confirmed injury or suspension news ahead of kick-off, according to Goal.com.
Match action
According to BBC match statistics, the game did not unfold as pre-match odds had suggested, with Udinese favoured to win. Instead, Venezia dominated possession at 73.6% to Udinese's 26.4%. The visitors also created more chances, registering 6 shots to Udinese's 3, with 3 on target compared to none for the hosts. Venezia also had more touches inside the opposition box, 8 to 2. None of the sources provide an official final score for the match.
Head-to-head
According to Goal.com, across the last five meetings each side has won twice, with one further result also recorded. The most recent Serie A meeting between the two clubs ended 3-2 in Udinese's favour.
