UDINESE

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 Luciano Spalletti and Dino Zoff must leave their past affiliations behind them when they come face to face in a potentially thrilling encounter at the Franchi stadium. Things could not be going better for coach Spalletti, with Udinese currently level on 41 points with Sampdoria in fourth position in Serie A, a place that would guarantee them the last Champions League spot come the end of the season.

But the self-confessed Fiorentina fan is not jumping with joy as his beloved Viola are struggling in the competition. Spalletti's love for Fiorentina goes back to his teenage years, when he spent two seasons playing for the Viola's youth team.

He joined in the celebrations as the Tuscany team returned to the top flight last summer and he is hoping they will avoid relegation by the season's end. But things are not looking favourable for Zoff's outfit. Fiorentina are just one point clear of the drop zone after taking only 26 points in 25 games.

Not even the arrival of the Friuli-born coach has inspired the team as they have failed to find the winning formula in the top flight.

Zoff, born in the region known to have produced the best football tacticians in Italy, with Juventus boss Fabio Capello among the prodigal sons of Udine, took over Fiorentina's hot seat in January following the dismissal of Sergio Buso. But not even the highly acclaimed coach has been able to solve the team's problems, having only achieved one victory in his five games in charge.

"I really didn't expect Fiorentina to be suffering at this point of the season," admitted Spalletti. In the summer everyone pointed to Fiorentina as the surprising team of the campaign but that has not been the case."

The 2-1 triumph against fellow strugglers Parma appeared to mark a brighter time ahead for Fiorentina but last weekend's 1-0 loss against 10-man Siena put them right back in trouble.

"I watched their game against Siena and I can only say that I have never seen them play so badly," added Spalletti.

Fiorentina's situation is somewhat surprising considering the exciting talent they have in their team, with Italian international Fabrizio Miccoli and Bulgarian rising star Valeri Bojinov among their top players.

General director Fabrizio Lucchesi is under no illusions as to where they are lacking.

"Our real problem is the fact that we are not a team yet," he said. We lack the mentality that, for example, Siena has, that mentality is not shared by the whole group."

Udinese cannot afford a defeat that could knock them out of the European positions with Palermo and Roma out to overtake the Bianconeri. But a defeat could prove disastrous for the Viola, considering they still have to play against high-flying Roma, Juventus, Internazionale and AC Milan.

Fiorentina will be without midfielder Enzo Maresca, who is struggling with a back injury, while the absences of Udinese pair Valerio Bertotto and David Pizarro, both out with the flu, will be a relief to Zoff. However, Spalletti is set to have Marek Jankulovski back in the fold as he has recovered from flu.

The Viola troubles continue as they try to win their second match since Zoff took over 7 games ago. In front of them they will have an Udinese side strong on the fact that they are still in a very good position to reach a Champions League spot so they will be all motivated to avoid defeat. Fiorentina must win and with Bojinov integrating better into the team tactics after a week of training camp, this might be the perfect chance for the Viola to obtain the three points.
 

Recommendation:	FIORENTINA @  7/5 with BLUESQ
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