Antonio Conte admits that his players were ‘too worried, too fearful’ and that they have to improve on their record on the road after slipping to their seventh away defeat of the season in a 1-0 Serie A loss against Udinese on Sunday afternoon. 

A lone goal from Udinese’s Jurgen Ekkelenkamp was enough to defeat the reigning Serie A champions, who are now sat in third place and could be two points off the lead of the table by the end of Sunday evening. 

You can see how the action from all of Sunday’s Serie A matches unfolds on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Conte: Udinese loss, Napoli injuries and improving away form

Napoli have had a tough time of it with injuries over the last few weeks, with Kevin De Bruyne, Stanislav Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Billy Gilmour, Romelu Lukaku, Juan Jesus and Alex Meret all having spent time on the treatment table over the last few weeks, and months in some cases.

Aside from swapping Leonardo Spinazzola for Mathias Olivera on Sunday, Conte has named the same starting XI for three games in a row, within the space of seven days. 

“We didn’t concede any shots on goal in the first half, we could have made better of the chances we had. We struggled at the beginning of the second half, and you could tell there was a bit of fear from there on,” Conte told DAZN while reviewing his side’s performance against Udinese. 

“Two disallowed goals and a crossbar at the start of the second half,” he continued. “We were too worried and too fearful, we needed to work hard. We have to play well, even in the difficult moments. We have to manage situations and we definitely have to improve.

“We have to be better at managing these moments, we have to tackle them with experience. We can’t lose courage or become overwhelmed. If you play like that, you run the risk of conceding, and we conceded. 

“I have nothing negative to say about the guys who are giving their all in this emergency. We have to be better at managing games and bringing out more character away from home. On a psychological level, we try to work on it and find the right way. We can grow, we have great guys here.” 

Conte was asked if he is worried about injuries derailing his side’s season. 

He replied: “I sounded the alarm even after we were winning. There’s not much to say. 

“At the beginning of the season, when you’re playing in a lot of competitions, you worry about building a squad that is up to scratch. (What can you do) when the squad is weakened because of external factors? 

“This year won’t be easy for us. The important thing is to be united and compact, facing challenges while sticking together. The whole club needs to stand together, this year won’t be easy. We want to work and fight. We’ve lost seven away games, we have to improve that a bit.”

Napoli rode their luck for two disallowed goals, but were eventually undone by a Jurgen Ekkelenkamp stunner for Udinese.

The Partenopei looked exhausted in their midweek Champions League defeat to Benfica, but had few alternatives available, as Juan Jesus joined Billy Gilmour, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne, Alex Meret and Romelu Lukaku on the treatment table. Stanislav Lobotka and Miguel Gutierrez were back on the bench. The Friulani lost Jordan Zemura in the surprise 2-1 home defeat to Genoa, with Arthur Atta and Hassane Kamara already out.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Nicolò Bertola risked an own goal with his decisive interception, as Leonardo Spinazzola got down the left and rolled across for a Noa Lang tap-in. Lang then fired over on the resulting corner.

Vanja Milinkovic-Savic pushed away a Jurgen Ekkelenkamp strike from the edge of the area, with the Nicolò Zaniolo follow-up charged down, while Jakub Piotrowski nodded wide.

Udinese came out more aggressive for the restart and had the ball in the net when Milinkovic-Savic’s weak parry on Bertola’s strike from the edge of the box was tapped in by Keinan Davis, but the forward was offside.

The hosts threatened again soon after when Piotrowski smashed his finish onto the underside of the crossbar down the right flank.

Zaniolo really should’ve opened the scoring when firing wide at the end of a well-worked move at the back post. He did get the ball in the net moments later, but it was disallowed when VAR spotted Karlstrom’s foul on Lobotka in the build-up.

Udinese finally scored a goal that counted when Jurgen Ekkelenkamp bent a sensational right-foot finish into the far top corner from the edge of the box, giving Milinkovic-Savic no chance.

Napoli wasted an astonishing opportunity to equalise on 88 minutes when Lorenzo Lucca got down the right and rolled across, but Hojlund off balance stumbled and somehow prodded it off target from a couple of yards.

Lucca went for it himself in stoppages and came sliding in to meet the David Neres cross, volleying it onto the base of the back post.

Udinese 1-0 Napoli

Ekkelenkamp 73 (U)

14-12-2025 14:00

MatchDay 15

Friuli Stadium (Dacia Arena)

Udinese

Napoli

1 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Nicolò Zaniolo

33'

2nd half

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp (Assist: Keinan Davis)

73'

Match statistic

38

Possession %

62

18

Total shots

7

5

Shots on target

6

Shots off target

6

7

Blocked shots

1

1

Corners

3

1

Offsides

1

16

Fouls

9

Udinese

Napoli

Starting lineups

40

Maduka Okoye

Goalkeeper

Alessandro Zanoli

Defender

90'

27

Christian Kabasele

Defender

13

Nicolò Bertola

Defender

84'

28

Oumar Solet

Defender

31

Thomas Kristensen

Defender

24

Jakub Piotrowski

Midfielder

8

Jesper Karlström

Midfielder

32

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp

Midfielder

83'

Nicolò Zaniolo

Midfielder

90'

9

Keinan Davis

Attacker

84'

32

Vanja Milinković-Savić

Goalkeeper

4

Alessandro Buongiorno

Defender

75'

13

Amir Rrahmani

Defender

22

Giovanni Di Lorenzo

Defender

37

Leonardo Spinazzola

Defender

82'

31

Sam Beukema

Defender

61'

20

Eljif Elmas

Midfielder

82'

8

Scott McTominay

Midfielder

7

David Neres

Attacker

70

Noa Lang

Attacker

61'

19

Rasmus Højlund

Attacker

Substitutes

93

Daniele Padelli

Goalkeeper

90

Răzvan Sava

Goalkeeper

4

Sandi Lovric

Midfielder

1

Alessandro Nunziante

Goalkeeper

16

Matteo Palma

Defender

77

Rui Modesto

Midfielder

38

Lennon Miller

Midfielder

29

Abdoulaye Camara

Midfielder

Idrissa Gueye

Attacker

6

Oier Zarraga

Midfielder

83'

18

Adam Buksa

Attacker

84'

19

Kingsley Ehizibue

Defender

84'

17

Iker Bravo

Attacker

90'

2

Saba Goglichidze

Defender

90'

14

Nikita Contini

Goalkeeper

26

Antonio Vergara

Midfielder

30

Pasquale Mazzocchi

Defender

69

Giuseppe Ambrosino

Attacker

35

Luca Marianucci

Defender

25

Mathias Ferrante

Goalkeeper

68

Stanislav Lobotka

Midfielder

61'

21

Matteo Politano

Attacker

61'

17

Mathías Olivera

Defender

75'

27

Lorenzo Lucca

Attacker

82'

3

Miguel Gutiérrez

Defender

82'

Napoli director Giovanni Manna insists they must remain ‘positive’ during an injury crisis after Champions League setbacks, but demands ‘more determination’ from Lorenzo Lucca.

It kicks off at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine at 14.00 GMT.

See how all today’s five Serie A games unfold on the Liveblog.

The Partenopei are flying high in Serie A at the top of the table alongside AC Milan, but the lack of options for squad rotation are starting to take their toll.

They looked exhausted in the midweek Champions League defeat to Benfica, which left them scrambling just to secure a place in the play-offs.

Napoli running out of steam

“Quite simply, we are playing with the same figures repeatedly, because there are few alternatives, it becomes difficult to rotate,” Manna told DAZN Italia.

“We proved that we were superior over our opponents with a series of head-to-head wins, it can happen that you feel fatigued and if you are not at 100 per cent in the Champions League, you will struggle.

“There are many matches, we hope to get as many players back as possible. It is a tough game today, a very physical one, so we must be positive.”

The injury list just keeps growing, as Juan Jesus has joined Billy Gilmour, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne, Alex Meret and Romelu Lukaku on the treatment table.

At least Stanislav Lobotka and Miguel Gutierrez are back for a spot on the bench, while the only change to the starting XI is Leonardo Spinazzola.

Is there a reason why Napoli give their best in Serie A and yet are struggling so badly in the Champions League?

“If I analyse the Champions League games, the only one we got really badly wrong was in Eindhoven,” insisted Manna of that 6-1 loss.

“We were down to 10 men with Manchester City for over an hour, we deserved more against Eintracht, we beat Qarabag and Sporting. Our energy levels were depleted against Benfica, but we still created scoring opportunities.

“I remain very positive, I feel the work that the coach and players are doing is clear for all to see. Now we’ve got to keep focused and try to bring home the points.”

Despite the injury crisis, ex-Udinese striker Lorenzo Lucca can barely get on the pitch, as Rasmus Hojlund is the first choice centre-forward.

There have also been reports that Napoli could try to sign Udinese midfielder Arthur Atta, although he is out of action today.

“I am hardly the first to notice Atta’s talent and everyone knows he’s destined for a great career,” replied the Napoli director when pushed on this player.

“Aside from the transfer gossip, he is a player beyond our range right now. Udinese always had a great scouting network to find talented young players with big prospects.

“As for Lucca, he needs to speed up the process of settling in and show more determination on the field. We are convinced he has the right characteristics to play for Napoli, but he must understand this is a different club to Udinese, he needs to show determination every single day in training and on the pitch.”

Check the official line-ups from this afternoon’s Serie A games, as Napoli have limited options against Nicolò Zaniolo’s Udinese, while Fiorentina vs. Verona is a huge relegation dogfight.

These two fixtures both kick off at 14.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s five Serie A games on the Liveblog.

Serie A Week 15 games

Udinese vs. Napoli team news

Napoli need a victory to ensure they stay top of the Serie A table, but after looking exhausted in the midweek Champions League defeat to Benfica, Antonio Conte has few alternatives for squad rotation.

Juan Jesus joins Billy Gilmour, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne, Alex Meret and Romelu Lukaku on the treatment table.

Udinese lost Jordan Zemura with a muscular lesion, with Arthur Atta and Hassane Kamara already out of action following a surprise 2-1 home defeat to Genoa.

Udinese: Okoye; Kabasele, Kristensen, Solet; Zanoli, Ekkelenkamp, Karlstrom, Piotrowski, Bertola; Zaniolo, Davis

Napoli: Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Di Lorenzo, Elmas, McTominay, Spinazzola; Neres, Lang; Hojlund

14-12-2025 14:00

MatchDay 15

Friuli Stadium (Dacia Arena)

Udinese

Napoli

1 - 0

Udinese

Napoli

Starting lineups

40

Maduka Okoye

Goalkeeper

Alessandro Zanoli

Defender

90'

27

Christian Kabasele

Defender

13

Nicolò Bertola

Defender

84'

28

Oumar Solet

Defender

31

Thomas Kristensen

Defender

24

Jakub Piotrowski

Midfielder

8

Jesper Karlström

Midfielder

32

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp

Midfielder

83'

Nicolò Zaniolo

Midfielder

90'

9

Keinan Davis

Attacker

84'

32

Vanja Milinković-Savić

Goalkeeper

4

Alessandro Buongiorno

Defender

75'

13

Amir Rrahmani

Defender

22

Giovanni Di Lorenzo

Defender

37

Leonardo Spinazzola

Defender

82'

31

Sam Beukema

Defender

61'

20

Eljif Elmas

Midfielder

82'

8

Scott McTominay

Midfielder

7

David Neres

Attacker

70

Noa Lang

Attacker

61'

19

Rasmus Højlund

Attacker

Substitutes

93

Daniele Padelli

Goalkeeper

90

Răzvan Sava

Goalkeeper

4

Sandi Lovric

Midfielder

1

Alessandro Nunziante

Goalkeeper

16

Matteo Palma

Defender

77

Rui Modesto

Midfielder

38

Lennon Miller

Midfielder

29

Abdoulaye Camara

Midfielder

Idrissa Gueye

Attacker

6

Oier Zarraga

Midfielder

83'

18

Adam Buksa

Attacker

84'

19

Kingsley Ehizibue

Defender

84'

17

Iker Bravo

Attacker

90'

2

Saba Goglichidze

Defender

90'

14

Nikita Contini

Goalkeeper

26

Antonio Vergara

Midfielder

30

Pasquale Mazzocchi

Defender

69

Giuseppe Ambrosino

Attacker

35

Luca Marianucci

Defender

25

Mathias Ferrante

Goalkeeper

68

Stanislav Lobotka

Midfielder

61'

21

Matteo Politano

Attacker

61'

17

Mathías Olivera

Defender

75'

27

Lorenzo Lucca

Attacker

82'

3

Miguel Gutiérrez

Defender

82'

Fiorentina vs. Verona team news

The bottom two face off in a potentially decisive match for relegation, as while Hellas earned their first victory of the campaign last week against Atalanta, Fiorentina are still without a single Serie A success.

Marin Pongracic returns from suspension, with Robin Gosens, Jacopo Fazzini, Abdelhamid Sabiri and Tariq Lamptey still out.

At least their mood was boosted by Thursday’s Conference League win over Dynamo Kyiv.

Verona get Roberto Gagliardini back from his ban, but Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro, Domagoj Bradaric and Tomas Suslov miss out.

Fiorentina: De Gea; Pongracic, Comuzzo, Ranieri; Dodò, Mandragora, Fagioli, Sohm, Parisi; Gudmundsson, Kean

Verona: Montipò; Unai Nunez, Nelsson, Bella-Kotchap; Belghali, Niasse, Al-Musrati, Bernede, Frese; Giovane, Mosquera

14-12-2025 14:00

MatchDay 15

Artemio Franchi Stadium

Fiorentina

Verona

1 - 2

Player statistic

1st half

		25'		Cheikh Niasse
		32'		Martin Frese
Albert Gudmundsson		36'
		39'		Moatasem Al-Musrati
		42'		Gift Orban (Assist: Moatasem Al-Musrati)

2nd half

Unai Núñez		69'
		85'		Rafik Belghali
		90+3'		Gift Orban (Assist: Antoine Bernede)
		90+5'		Unai Núñez

Match statistic

66

Possession %

34

20

Total shots

13

4

Shots on target

3

9

Shots off target

7

7

Blocked shots

3

9

Corners

4

1

Offsides

1

10

Fouls

22

Fiorentina

Verona

Starting lineups

43

David de Gea

Goalkeeper

2

Dodô

Defender

87'

65

Fabiano Parisi

Defender

6

Luca Ranieri

Defender

61'

5

Marin Pongracic

Defender

15

Pietro Comuzzo

Defender

44

Nicolò Fagioli

Midfielder

87'

8

Rolando Mandragora

Midfielder

61'

7

Simon Sohm

Midfielder

69'

10

Albert Gudmundsson

Attacker

20

Moise Kean

Attacker

1

Lorenzo Montipò

Goalkeeper

37

Armel Bella-Kotchap

Defender

3

Martin Frese

Defender

75'

7

Rafik Belghali

Defender

5

Unai Núñez

Defender

15

Victor Nelsson

Defender

24

Antoine Bernede

Midfielder

73

Moatasem Al-Musrati

Midfielder

75'

36

Cheikh Niasse

Attacker

46'

25

Daniel Mosquera

Attacker

61'

17

Giovane

Attacker

35'

Substitutes

91

Roberto Piccoli

Attacker

18

Pablo Marí

Defender

14

Hans Nicolussi Caviglia

Midfielder

1

Luca Lezzerini

Goalkeeper

Christian Kouamé

Attacker

30

Tommaso Martinelli

Goalkeeper

60

Eddy Kouadio

Defender

29

Niccolò Fortini

Midfielder

61'

24

Amir Richardson

Midfielder

61'

9

Edin Dzeko

Attacker

69'

26

Mattia Viti

Defender

87'

27

Cher Ndour

Midfielder

87'

21

Abdou Harroui

Midfielder

20

Grigoris Kastanos

Midfielder

34

Simone Perilli

Goalkeeper

23

Enzo Ebosse

Defender

94

Giacomo Toniolo

Goalkeeper

72

Junior Ajayi

Attacker

2

Daniel Oyegoke

Defender

19

Tobias Slotsager

Defender

4

Yellu Santiago

Midfielder

70

Fallou Cham

Defender

16

Gift Orban

Attacker

35'

63

Roberto Gagliardini

Midfielder

46'

9

Amin Sarr

Attacker

61'

8

Suat Serdar

Midfielder

75'

Nicolás Valentini

Defender

75'

{rsn-live-v2}

Antonio Conte will make little changes to his Napoli XI as they visit Udinese in Serie A Week 15.

It kicks off at 15:00 CET (14:00 GMT) at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine.

The Partenopei are still without several key players, Romelu Lukaku, Alex Meret, Kevin De Bruyne, Frank Zambo Anguissa and Billy Gilmour, but Stanislav Lobotka is back in the squad and is expected to start on the bench.

Napoli will face Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana semifinal next week, but Conte still can’t rotate much, so he’ll make just one change to the XI that lost 2-0 away at Benfica in the Champions League earlier this week.

According to several sources, including Corriere dello Sport, Leonardo Spinazzola is expected to start as a left midfielder in a 3-4-3 system, while David Neres and Noa Lang remain favourites to start up front alongside Rasmus Hojlund, leaving Matteo Politano on the bench.

Udinese are without Hassane Kamara, Arthur Atta and Jordan Zemura, but Nicolò Zaniolo is fit to start and will lead their attack today.

Udinese vs. Napoli – where to watch on TV

The match is available on DAZN in the UK and Ireland and on Paramount+ in the USA. Football Italia will cover today’s Serie A action with a liveblog.

Udinese vs. Napoli – probable line-ups

Udinese (3-5-2): Okoye; Solet, Kabasele, Bertola; Zanoli, Ekkelenkamp, Karlstrom, Piotrowski, Ehizibue; Davis, Zaniolo

Napoli (3-4-3): Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Di Lorenzo, Elmas, McTominay, Spinazzola; Neres, Lang; Hojlund

Lorenzo Lucca returns ‘home’ to face his old club Udinese, but even though he’s not going to get much playing time at Napoli, he is not on the transfer market yet.

The centre-forward first made his mark with the Friulani and will visit his former teammates wearing the Napoli jersey.

He’ll be on the bench, because the hierarchy is rock solid now and Rasmus Hojlund has taken over the role, leaving the Italian with only a handful of minutes per match.

Lucca depends on other players

All this is awaiting Romelu Lukaku, who as Antonio Conte pointed out recently, is not back yet and it’s not clear when he’s likely to be at 100 per cent.

Until that time comes, Lucca is going nowhere, because Napoli need someone to rely on in a campaign full of injury uncertainty.

They will discuss it over the next few weeks, and if the Belgian should be available for selection, then Lucca could start to look around for a different solution until June.

There’s no point talking about it right now, but at least Lorenzo will be back on familiar territory and perhaps find something to smile about during a disappointing season.

Udinese are losing pieces, through injuries and with the Africa Cup of Nations approaching.

There’s a flexor lesion in Jordan Zemura’s right thigh, meaning the left wing-back will not be able to join up with Zimbabwe for AFCON.

For Udinese it’s another problem in a department already stripped down: Rui Modesto will leave for Angola, while Kamara is dealing with plantar fasciitis.

Udinese down to barebones as Lookman future not on the agenda at Atalanta

The market is still a way off. For now, the Friulani must find an in-house solution, something to patch up the emergency on the flanks. January will come later.

And the market, at least for the moment, does not affect Ademola Lookman. He has taken back his place at Atalanta and is fully focused on the commitment with Nigeria.

When he returns to Italy, the picture will be clearer. But right now, interest in him has not produced anything concrete.

Former Swiss international Gökhan Inler reveals Arsene Wenger wanted to sign him at Arsenal, but Udinese rejected the Gunners’ approach.

Former Udinese midfielder Inler, now a director for the Bianconeri, could have joined Arsenal as a footballer.

The ex-midfielder revealed the Gunners’ interest during his latest interview with The Italian Football Podcast.

“Of course, during this time, I had an agent. I didn’t have so much information as I was concentrating on the pitch. Yes, the rumours were there. Behind the scenes, now I understand what happens behind the scenes, but before, you don’t know what’s going on,” Inler said.

“But yeah, it could be, I read about this. But I can say, and many people don’t know about this, but in my first year at Udine, I had an offer from Arsenal. However, the club said no, Inler is part of our project, so I stayed here four years.

“Yes, Arsene Wenger wanted me, correct. As I said, I didn’t know what was going around, but I was also a Swiss national team player with Johan Djourou and Philippe Senderos were Arsenal players. That’s why I saw the coach with the national team, but in the end the club decided to keep me, and I had a great four years with Udinese.”

Inler won the Premier League title with Leicester City in 2015-16 and opened up about his rapport with Jamie Vardy during the same interview.

A former Swiss midfielder, Inler played for Udinese and Napoli in Serie A, scoring 15 goals in 259 appearances in Italy’s top flight.

Inler, 41, made his senior Switzerland debut in February 2006 and scored seven goals in 89 international matches.

Inler was appointed as Udinese’s Head of the Technical Area last summer. The 41-year-old played 162 games with the Bianconeri as a footballer, scoring nine goals.

During his time in Italy, Inler won two Coppa Italia titles and one Supercoppa Italiana with Napoli.

Udinese director Gökhan Inler feels Nicolò Zaniolo is on the right path towards a return to the Italy national team and describes his former Leicester City teammate Jamie Vardy as a ‘crazy guy’ and ‘ great leader.’

Udinese director Inler believes Italy should give Zaniolo another chance in 2026, when the Azzurri will play in the World Cup play-off.

“Before Nicolo came to us, we had a conversation with him and the coach together to convince him to join the project. He also said he wanted to rebuild his career as he had some issues with injuries,” Inler told the Italian Football Podcast.

“He believes that he can give something back to the national team. Since he came here, he has worked really hard, he is working really hard. He is an emotional guy, he needs this, but he is really working really hard. So far, very positive guy.

Zaniolo: Zaniolo should get Italy call-up

“He is also a very strong player. You also saw him in England; he has quality. And of course, in my opinion, now that he is scoring goals, he is really getting there where the national team needs him. I think the next call-up, the national team should call him.”

Udinese signed Zaniolo on loan with an option to buy from Galatasaray last summer, and the Italian has scored four goals in 12 Serie A appearances with Udinese this season.

Another Udinese player, Oumar Solet, is delivering convincing performances in Udine, attracting interest from top clubs, according to reports.

“Oumar is an amazing player. He has already experienced the Champions League. He is a great personality. On the pitch, you see he can change the game himself,” Inler said.

“You remember that goal against Inter where he started driving the ball from behind, he started and he shot. He is really an important transfer for us. Let’s say we were a bit lucky when we signed him. He had some issues. We prepared him for some months here at Udine to get fit.

“It was not easy, four months of training without playing in a competition. I remember his first game, it was, I think, in January, his first game was against Verona, from 0 to 100, and after this game, all of Serie A was talking about him.

“That’s why I think we did a great job mentally and also physically. I hope he stays with us for a long time, but of course, as I said before, great players always have opportunities; however, we are here to build a great Udinese.”

A former Switzerland international, Inler won the Premier League title with Leicester City in 2015-16, playing alongside Vardy, now at Cremonese.

Inler: ‘Amazing’ Vardy

“Jamie is amazing. Crazy guy, he knows that but he really is a great leader, respectful. Also, a great teammate, working a lot in this period for the dressing room,” Inler said.

“We went to his house for the celebration [when we won the Premier League]. Jamie was a crazy guy yes, RedBull before games, he was hyperactive, jumping left and right, shooting balls in the dressing room. In Italy, you never see this, music at high volume, it was like a disco [laughs].

“But in the games, you saw, he explodes, he runs left, right, shoots everywhere. Also, now, I met him with Cremonese. He is still the same. You saw he scored two goals against Bologna last week. 

“Also, he had difficulties before he became a champion. He respected the rules, he made a great career. We are still in touch, he is a great player, and I am proud to have played with a nice and crazy guy.”