Serie A: Venezia-Udinese on the pitch on Friday at 8.45pm LIVE

Venezia-Udinese on the pitch on Friday at 8.45pm LIVE

Courage, balance and continuity of results. These are the watchwords of Davide Nicola, in a press conference on the eve of the match between Venezia and Udinese, which will see the return to the Penzo as an opponent of the former orange-green coach Paolo Zanetti.

A crossroads on which the coach of the lagoon players prefers not to dwell: "Venice is a sought-after place, several former ones will arrive and also very important ones. The opponent has changed technical leadership and may have new stimuli, but I'm focusing on what we want to do".

The objective is to follow up on the performance against Como, which was also marked by controversy over an refereeing episode. "The team was immediately aware of having played an excellent match. We cannot control certain aspects and we don't waste time doing so. We studied what we could do better, this makes a team that wants to grow", explains Nicola, who invites us not to underestimate the Friulians: "Udinese have been in Serie A for thirty consecutive years, it is a structured world, a very physical team. There will be no matches that are more manageable than others".

For the coach, the priority remains to consolidate defensive progress, without giving up on improving the offensive phase.

"I blindly believe in the team's ability to defend itself, which doesn't just mean staying behind the line of the ball. We must learn to move from one phase to another faster, increasing our courage. Our priority is to be effective and score points." A path that still requires work: "At the moment perhaps we are not making the key step in the right time. I am convinced that we will get there."

On the training front, there are possible changes compared to Como. Correia, fresh from two training sessions with the group, could return to the squad, although Nicola believes that he will only be best assessed after the break. Confidence was also confirmed in John Yeboah, who started from the bench in the last two races: "I'm very happy with him. By changing category we need to give him time to adapt".

Finally, an appeal to the fans, called to support the team in an important challenge for the rankings: "I expect people to give us a great hand, as they usually do. Tomorrow we will all strengthen our vocal chords and commitment on the pitch".

Udinese in Venice with the doubt Davis

Paolo Zanetti's adventure on the Udinese bench begins with the away match in Venice, with a very delicate survival clash. The new Juventus coach is immediately called upon to reverse course after the dismissal of Kosta Runjaic and a ranking that sees the Friulian team in penultimate place, ahead only of the lagoon players. For his debut at Penzo, Zanetti will be able to count on the recovery of Solet, ready to return to his defense, while the doubt regarding Davis remains to be resolved, whose conditions will be evaluated right up to the end. The main question concerns the offensive department: in the event of the English striker's withdrawal, Zanetti could rely on Unai Gomez in the role of false nine, with Zaniolo and Ekkelenkamp behind him. A solution also dictated by the absences of Gueye and Bayo, both still struggling with their respective injuries. Zanoli is also out on the wing. The new coach, who tomorrow will face Venezia as an opponent with whom he won promotion to Serie A in 2021, will therefore have to immediately find solutions to revive a team in difficulty, capable of winning just one point in the last 8 matches.