Sampdoria vs Udinese Prediction 22.01.2023

• Competition: Italy - Serie A
• Date: Sunday, 22nd, January 2023
• Kickoff: 11:30 UK / 12.30 CET
• Venue: Stadio Luigi Ferraris (Genoa)

Sampdoria somehow managed to stay among Italian football's elite last season, finishing six points above the relegation zone. However, this season is, to put it mildly, disastrous for the club from Genoa, so there is no doubt that coach Dejan Stankovic will have a task, one would say never more difficult, because a fierce fight for survival is waiting for him and his team. The popular "Doria" is facing the worst season in the club's history, which is best shown by the single-digit number of points won (only 9) from 18 games, which is why they are currently positioned in a disappointing 19th place, seven points below the safety zone.

Udinese, although belonging to the group of standard first division teams, is condemned to mediocrity in recent years, as it has been nine years since they last managed to finish a season above 12th position in the Serie A table. Le Zebrette opened the season brilliantly, they were considered the most pleasant surprise at the start of Serie A, they were just one point from the top of the table until the ninth round, but in early October followed by a sudden drop in the form of Andrea Sottil's team. So, Udinese slipped from the high second place to the eighth position and to a considerable extent reduced its chances to reach the European competitions, since they are 8 points behind the sixth Atalanta.

Sampdoria vs Udinese Betting Tips: BTTS

Sunday's clash will be the first this season between Sampdoria and Udinese. Last season, both duels were exciting, especially the one at the "Stadio Luigi Ferraris", where we saw a crazy match, six goals and sharing the spoils (3-3).

Coach Dejan Stankovic is encouraged by the positive omens, so he and his team will hope to take at least something from this week's clash, bearing in mind that La Samp has not lost to Udinese in front of home fans for more than a decade, while four of the previous five conflicts belonged to the club from Genoa.

Sampdoria, however, still cannot move from the dead spot. A surprising victory over Sassuolo (2-1) at the beginning of 2023 gave the fans a glimpse of hope, but "Il Doria" quickly continued as before. In the last, 18th round, the Genovese suffered a minimal defeat (0-1) against Empoli, which was their third in a row, and the seventh overall in the last eight games in all competitions.

What is the biggest problem for Dejan Stankovic's team is realization. They have only found the back of the net 8 times this season, which is by far the worst offensive performance in Serie A. In addition, La Samp's back line looks as "hollow" as "Swiss cheese", which is best shown by the fact that the defense capitulated 31 times this season.

Udinese, meanwhile, is going through a severe result crisis, and what worries coach Andrea Sottil the most is that his team is not showing signs of life. The defeat by Bologna (1-2) last weekend was 11 consecutive games in all competitions in which Le Zebrette failed to triumph (six draws and five defeats).

Recent clashes in Genoa were full of excitement and goals. In four of the previous five, both teams shaken the net at least once. Given that both teams will see this match as an ideal opportunity to get back on track, hopefully it will be an open game where goals in both nets should not be lacking.