Inter Milan host Udinese at San Siro on 14 September 2026 in Serie A Matchday 4. They arrive having won all three opening games to sit third with nine points, though the mood around the club is shaded by a 1-2 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid midweek in which they were second best for long stretches of the second half. Udinese sit around tenth on four points but are already three games in and already without several key players.
Cristian Chivu took charge of Inter in June 2025 after replacing Simone Inzaghi, while Runjaić has been at the Udinese helm since July 2024 and this is their first meeting as managers.
Inter's last four competitive results read W-W-W-L. The standout came on 5 September when they trailed Napoli 2-0 before turning it around to win 3-2 - which showed something real about this squad's character - before Real Madrid beat them 1-2 in the Champions League three days later, a result that stings going into the weekend. Udinese's recent league form reads L-W-D: a 1-2 loss to Lazio on 7 September, a 3-2 win at Monza on 29 August and a 1-1 draw with Como the week before that.
Inter are managing a couple of injury doubts. Federico Dimarco is questionable with a knee problem and Djed Spence carries a fitness concern, while Denzel Dumfries is unavailable after his sale to Real Madrid. Losing Dimarco from the left wing back slot is a real problem with no natural replacement in the squad. Udinese are in considerably worse shape: Jakub Piotrowski, Oumar Solet (thigh), Nicolò Zaniolo (muscle), Giorgi Chakvetadze and Juan David Arizala are all sidelined, stripping the creativity from midfield and removing Runjaić's most robust centre back in one go.
Inter play out from the back in a 3-5-2 shape, with Nicolò Barella and Hakan Çalhanoğlu dominating the centre. Çalhanoğlu has already scored twice in the league this season and Lautaro Martínez has been just as productive with two goals in three appearances, while Alessandro Bastoni drives play from the back three and makes Inter difficult to press. Udinese prefer a compact 3-4-2-1 that targets the transition window between the 25th minute and half time, with Jesper Karlström anchoring the midfield to protect the defence while Keinan Davis provides a physical target for balls played in behind the lines. Without Piotrowski and Zaniolo, Karlström will likely be the only recognised central midfielder, with Runjaić forced to plug gaps with players who are not natural fits.
The absences are where this match gets decided. Without Solet, Udinese lose their most robust centre back at exactly the wrong moment: Lautaro drops to feet while Thuram runs the channel, forcing a binary choice on whichever centre back fills Solet's spot. Barella's energy should overwhelm a depleted midfield once Karlström tires and Inter's set pieces, with Çalhanoğlu delivering and Bastoni arriving late into the box, are a genuine danger against a reshuffled back three. Davis can hurt Inter on the counter if their wing backs push too high but Bastoni's defensive organisation held up even during the Napoli comeback.
Inter have won 26 of 38 historical Serie A meetings between these sides and 18 of the last 23 league encounters, though Udinese did claim a shock win at San Siro last season, which is at least a reminder that the visitors are not simply here to make up the numbers.
Inter 2-0 Udinese. The squad depth advantage, Barella and Çalhanoğlu controlling the middle and Udinese's mounting injury crisis all point firmly towards the home side. Lautaro is the most likely to open the scoring and without Zaniolo and Chakvetadze, Udinese have no one capable of receiving the ball and turning between the lines on the break.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
