Udinese aim to bounce back against Roma

25 November 2011 05:16

Udinese will be looking to reclaim top spot in Serie A when they host Roma on Friday night in a match brought forward from the weekend.

The northerners lost the scudetto lead last weekend when they fell to a 2-0 defeat at Parma.

Coach Francesco Guidolin accused his team of lacking humility in that game but they will have the chance to banish those memories straight away if they can overcome Roma.

Their visitors have been quite inconsistent this season and have struggled to convert chances into goals.

Roma moved up to fifth with their 2-1 win over Lecce last weekend and are only five points behind leaders Juventus.

But Brazilian midfielder Rodrigo Taddei has dismissed any talk of a title push from the side, who are developing under the tutelage of Luis Enrique.

"It would be hypocritical on our part to talk about the title," he said.

"It's early, there are a lot of games left and it's better to just think about the next match against Udinese, which will be very difficult.

"They play good football, they play from memory, they have great players and to take something away from the game we'll have to be at the top of our concentration.

"Every year it's the same thing and we hope to avoid the same mistakes as the past when we just needed a couple of wins for the title talk to start.

"We still have to improve a lot of things, we know what our weaknesses are and we're working hard to eliminate them.

"We hope to continue on the same path as these last two wins (against Lecce and Novara) which have given us a lot of tranquility and security to try to make fewer mistakes.

"That's the only way we can reach our goals."

Udinese don't suffer from the same vice as Roma, whose fans need little encouragement to allow unrealistic expectations to foster.

For the northerners it's all about the here and now and just trying to pick up points.

Udinese striker Gabriel Torje said it's important to put their defeat to Parma behind them.

"We have to forget about Parma and kick on against a great team like Roma," he said.

Udinese have been excellent at home this season while their struggles have come on their travels.

Roma, though, have been equally inconsistent at home and away.

Source: AFP