Venezia vs Udinese Preview: Zanetti Returns as Both Clubs Seek a Serie A Turnaround

Udinese’s managerial change gives Friday’s meeting with Venezia its sharpest edge: Paolo Zanetti returns to the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo with a chance to revive a side that has taken one point from its last five league matches. The visitors are still short on confidence, but Venezia’s nine defeats in ten Serie A games make this a contest where even a modest reset could matter.

The clubs arrive in the bottom two, with Venezia 20th on three points and Udinese 19th on five. Both have defensive problems; Venezia have conceded 20 goals, while Udinese have let in 23. The home side’s immediate concern is at the other end of the pitch: six goals in ten league matches, followed by three straight scoreless defeats.

A return to familiar ground

Zanetti knows the venue and the club. He guided Venezia into Serie A in 2021, then went on to manage Empoli and Verona. His appointment after Kosta Runjaic’s dismissal puts him straight into a tense fixture against a former side led by Davide Nicola.

Runjaic’s departure followed a 5-2 home loss to Roma. That result extended Udinese’s run without a league win to eight matches and left them with only one point from their last five. The change in the dugout may sharpen the visitors’ response, though a new manager can’t instantly erase a run of poor defending: Udinese have conceded 12 goals across those five games.

For Zanetti, the first task is likely to bring some order to a team that has conceded 23 times in ten league appearances. A 3-4-2-1 is one possible shape, with Nicolò Zaniolo and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp positioned behind Keinan Davis. The precise plan remains uncertain this early in his tenure, and the available facts offer no guarantee that a switch in leadership will produce an immediate result.

Venezia need a way back into the game

Nicola’s side have little room for another blank. Their only league win came against Napoli in October, when they prevailed 1-0. Since then, Venezia have lost to Genoa, Inter and Como without scoring. With just six league goals, they have the weakest attack in the division.

A 3-5-2 remains the expected setup, with Akor Adams and John Yeboah among the leading candidates to start up front. The formation gives Venezia two central forwards, but the recent results point to a broader problem than selection: they need to create more reliable chances and turn at least some of their possession into goals.

Udinese’s defensive record offers an opening. They have conceded 23 times in the league, including 12 goals in their last five matches, while Venezia have scored only twice in their last five. The matchup puts a struggling attack against a vulnerable defence, but the home side’s recent scoring record makes it difficult to assume that Udinese’s weaknesses will be punished.

Udinese’s away record could count

Four of Udinese’s five league points have come away from home. That split suggests they have been more competitive on the road, a useful detail ahead of a trip to a ground where Venezia have struggled to build momentum. They also beat Venezia 2-1 in the Coppa Italia in September, although a knockout meeting is a limited guide to a league match carrying greater pressure for both clubs.

Davis is one of the game’s more intriguing individual storylines. He scored ten league goals last season, but has yet to find the net in nine appearances in 2026/27. He has provided two league assists, and a central role in Zanetti’s proposed system could give him a clearer route to goal. Venezia’s defensive record may help, though his current drought makes a scoring bet speculative.

The basic numbers are close enough to keep a draw in view: Udinese have more points and goals scored, while Venezia have conceded three fewer goals. Yet the visitors have the advantage in away points, and Zanetti’s arrival offers a plausible source of renewed urgency. My read is that Udinese have a narrow edge, with both sides’ defensive instability making a low-margin result more likely than a comfortable win.

Prediction and betting angles

The score prediction is Venezia 1-2 Udinese. The visitors’ recent form is poor, but their away record and the managerial change give them a route to a needed result. Venezia’s three consecutive league blanks are the stronger warning sign for the home side.

Udinese Draw No Bet at 2.25 reflects that narrow edge while allowing for a stake refund if the match is level. Venezia Under 1.5 Team Goals at 1.80 follows the hosts’ six goals in ten league games and their run of three straight scoreless matches. Keinan Davis Anytime Scorer at 3.25 is a higher-risk option: last season’s ten-goal return and a likely central role support the case, while his failure to score in nine appearances this season cuts the other way.

Udinese have gone eight league games without a win, so the prediction rests on a change of direction rather than a settled run of form. Zanetti’s first match back at Venezia offers the visitors a chance to turn that possibility into points; whether they can do so depends on improving at the back and giving Davis enough support up front.