Serie A Matchday 2 brings newly promoted Monza and Udinese together on 29 August 2026 at the U Power Stadium, with neither side having won on Matchday 1. Monza are 19th with nothing on the board after their brutal opener, Udinese sit 11th on a single point from their draw at Como.
Jurić and Runjaić haven't faced each other before, so there's no head to head record to lean on. Jurić only took the Monza job on 29 June 2026, replacing Paolo Bianco, while Runjaić has been at Udinese since June 2024 and recently extended into a third season.
Monza's opener was rough: a 1-4 loss to Inter on 22 August 2026, despite Gustavo Varela opening the scoring. Udinese took a 1-1 draw away to Como the same day, a point earned through resilience rather than fluency and they looked the more settled side.
Monza's injury list is long enough to genuinely hurt their chances. Matteo Pessina is out long term with a knee injury, likely until January 2027, which tears a hole in their midfield structure and Patrick Ciurria, Leonardo Colombo, Idrissa Touré and Ebenezer Akinsanmiro are also unavailable through injury or illness, leaving Jurić to lean on Colpani's creativity and Varela, who opened the scoring against Inter.
Udinese are missing several players too: Christian Kabasele is suspended, Matteo Palma and Nicolò Zaniolo are both out for around a month with muscle problems, Giorgi Chakvetadze is injured, Alessandro Zanoli is still recovering from a knee issue and Keinan Davis is doubtful with muscle fatigue. Runjaić will rely on Jurgen Ekkelenkamp and Hassane Kamara in midfield and their cover there is meaningfully less compromised than Monza's without Pessina.
Jurić builds around a 3-4-2-1 with pressing triggers and rapid transitions but without Pessina organising behind the ball, Monza have to press collectively and accept they're exposed if it breaks down. Varela gives them something to aim at up front and Colpani can create but the injury list is punishing enough that it limits what Jurić can realistically ask of this side.
Where Monza press and hope, Udinese wait and punish. Runjaić's 3-5-2 is built around compactness and quick counters and it suits the personnel he has available. Ekkelenkamp's ability to get into goalscoring positions from midfield and Kamara's work rate in both boxes are the main weapons in transition.
Udinese's approach leans heavily on set piece organisation and defensive shape from dead balls, areas where a depleted Monza backline could struggle. Jurić's pressing can force turnovers in dangerous positions but without the midfield numbers to win second balls, Monza may not convert those opportunities. Monza won the most recent Serie A meeting between these sides 2-1 but the squad contexts are so different now that the result tells you little. Udinese arrive having already shown they can hold a point in Serie A this season, Monza haven't.
Monza 0-2 Udinese. Losing Pessina for months while also missing most of their attacking midfield depth leaves too many gaps. Varela will likely be their most direct route to goal, particularly in the first half before legs tire but Runjaić's shape should hold up well against Jurić's press and Udinese should sit on the lead and punish Monza's gaps as they push for an equaliser, converting twice and keeping a clean sheet.
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?.
