Serie A Matchday 8 pits 16th placed Udinese against fourth placed AC Milan at the Bluenergy Stadium on 25 October 2026, with both clubs arriving in very different states of mind. Udinese sit on just four points after seven games while Milan hold 15 and the gap in confidence between them is even wider than the table suggests. The home side has lost all five of their most recent league outings, including a 0-3 defeat to Lecce on 18 October, leaving Kosta Runjaic under mounting pressure despite being confirmed in the role just days later on 19 October. Milan arrive after a mixed week: a dramatic 3-2 league win over Atalanta on 18 October was followed by a 0-3 Europa League loss to Bournemouth on 22 October, a game in which Mike Maignan was sent off. This fixture will likely be the first meeting between Runjaic, who took charge of Udinese in 2024 after replacing Fabio Cannavaro and Ruben Amorim, appointed Milan coach around 15 June 2026 to replace Massimiliano Allegri.
Udinese's last five Serie A results are five defeats and the 0-3 home hammering by Lecce was a fair summary of a grim pattern: concede early, fail to respond. Milan are unbeaten in five league games with a DDWDW record, though the midweek collapse against Bournemouth showed how quickly things can unravel when important players are absent.
Udinese are without David Alaba (calf), Vakoun Bayo (thigh/hamstring) and Idrissa Gueye (ankle), with Nicolo Zaniolo also doubtful with fitness and thigh concerns, a damaging set of absences across defence and attack. Milan have their own injury problems, with Matteo Gabbia out until early 2027 with a tendon injury, Alexis Saelemaekers absent until mid-January, Samuel Chukwueze unavailable until mid-November, Ruben Loftus-Cheek sidelined with discomfort and Gonçalo Ramos a doubt with a calf issue.
Udinese set up in a 3-4-2-1 but five straight defeats suggest the plan isn't holding together, with Jurgen Ekkelenkamp leading the line as top scorer and Keinan Davis and Giorgi Chakvetadze offering support behind him. Milan's possession heavy approach, shifting between a 3-4-2-1 and a 4-3-3, is exactly the system Udinese would least want to face right now and Runjaic's side will try to sit deep and spring counters through the channels.
Adrien Rabiot is in good goalscoring form, Christian Pulisic cuts inside from the right and Luka Modric dictates rhythm from deep and Gabbia's absence hurting Milan's build from the back could hand Udinese some counter attacking opportunities, with Maignan's red card adding another complication. Rabiot has a direct route into space with Gueye absent and Pulisic's movement against Udinese's wing-backs is the other matchup worth watching.
Udinese's defensive depth is stretched thin enough that Milan's delivery from corners and free kicks warrants attention and a defence conceding freely in open play is unlikely to hold up at set pieces either.
Udinese 0-2 AC Milan. Udinese have barely threatened in five league matches and losing Alaba, Bayo and Gueye strips away whatever defensive structure and creative spark they had, leaving Modric and Rabiot with every reason to expect a free run through the midfield. Pulisic cutting inside to combine before arriving late into the box is the likeliest source of the first goal, though a set piece or a Rabiot run from deep that Modric helps unlock is just as plausible and the second should arrive on the break when Udinese push forward chasing a way back in. Milan's injury list could keep this closer than expected but not close enough for Udinese to take a point.
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?.
