Udinese vs Atalanta Prediction
Draw Kings Visit Udinese in Goal-Fest?
Preview
Right then, let's have a proper look at this one! Udinese versus Atalanta - a proper tale of two teams going in different directions, innit?
First up, let's talk about Atalanta. These lads are the draw kings of Serie A this season - SEVEN draws already and still unbeaten in the league! They've been grinding out results like a proper workman's team. Recent form shows they're not exactly blowing teams away: 1-1 with AC Milan, 1-1 with Cremonese, 0-0 with Lazio. They're solid as a rock but about as exciting as watching paint dry sometimes.
Udinese, on the other hand, are a bit more of a rollercoaster. They've had some proper decent results - that 2-1 win at Inter was a right result, and they beat Lecce 3-2 at home not long ago. But then they went and got stuffed 3-1 by Juventus. Typical Udinese, really - brilliant one minute, bang average the next.
Now here's the stat that'll make your eyes water: Udinese have NEVER beaten Atalanta in NINE meetings. Not once! Zero wins, five draws, four losses. That's a proper mental block if ever I saw one. The recent meetings have been tight affairs too - 0-0, 1-2, 0-2, 1-1, 0-0. Not exactly goal fests, are they?
But here's where it gets interesting for us punters. Udinese at home are scoring 1.5 goals per game, while Atalanta away are conceding 1.5. Both teams have been finding the net regularly - Udinese have both teams scoring in 70% of their recent games, Atalanta in 60%.
The bookies have got Atalanta as favorites at 1.97, which makes sense given they're unbeaten. But I'm looking at that Both Teams To Score market at 1.75 and thinking that's where the value might be. Both teams have shown they can score and both have shown they can concede. Udinese's home games have been decent for goals, and Atalanta's away games have seen a few go in.
Given Udinese's historical struggles against Atalanta but their decent home scoring record, plus Atalanta's draw-happy nature but defensive vulnerabilities on the road, I'm leaning towards both teams getting on the scoresheet here.