Udinese will host AS Roma on Saturday at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, a match that could influence the Serie A title race and the future of Udinese manager Kosta Runjaic. Roma, currently four points behind leaders Lazio and Inter, can close the gap with a victory ahead of the Derby della Madonnina later the same day.
The fixture evokes memories of one of Francesco Totti's most celebrated goals, scored against Udinese at the Stadio Olimpico on October 2, 2002. Totti, who retired in 2017 after a career spent entirely at his childhood club, netted 307 goals in 786 appearances and captained Roma to the 2000-01 Serie A title, the club's most recent championship.
Recalling the goal in an interview with Corriere dello Sport, Totti said: "For me, one of the best goals, aside from the ones I scored in Genoa, Inter and the derby, was a goal I scored against Udinese at the Stadio Olimpico. I scored twice that day... Batistuta dinks the ball over the goalkeeper, a little chip. I bring the ball under control with my head, I can't remember whether Bertotto was marking me and, with my back to goal, where De Sanctis was, I hit a volley on the half-bounce into the top corner at the far post."
Match Details
Date: Saturday, Oct. 31 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Bluenergy Stadium, Udine, Italy
TV: CBS
Odds: Udinese +448; Draw +337; AS Roma -198
