Serie A Matchday 3 brings Udinese and Lazio together on 7 September 2026, with Udinese sitting eighth and Lazio sixth after two matches, each chasing European qualification. The more interesting story is the contrast in how Kosta Runjaić and Gennaro Gattuso are building their sides and the absences that will force adjustments in both camps.
Direct meetings between Runjaić and Gattuso remain limited, so there is little head to head history to lean on. Runjaić took charge at Udinese in July 2024 after replacing Fabio Cannavaro, Gattuso arrived at Lazio in June 2026 to succeed Maurizio Sarri. Their tactical ideas are still being stamped on these squads, making this fixture an early test of how each approach holds up under pressure rather than a clash of settled styles.
Udinese arrive with a mixed but promising sequence: a 2-1 Coppa Italia win over Venezia on 2 September, a 3-2 Serie A victory against Monza on 29 August and a 1-1 draw with Como a week before that. Lazio, by contrast, have won their two Serie A games 1-0, against Bologna and Genoa, keeping clean sheets in both.
Runjaić will be without Alessandro Zanoli (ACL) and Nicolò Zaniolo (hamstring), which strips width and creativity from the attack. Gattuso faces similar disruption: Adam Marušić is out with a thigh and hamstring problem while Nicolò Rovella is sidelined with a calf injury, leaving Gattuso short in both wide areas and the engine room of the press.
Udinese typically set up in a 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1 and without Zanoli's overlapping runs from right wing back and Zaniolo's ability to drive inside, they have no one to pull Lazio's defensive shape wide, which leaves Keinan Davis even more central to everything in attack, supported by Hassane Kamara and the midfield pair of captain Jesper Karlström and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp. Expect them to lean harder on set pieces and second ball situations to generate chances.
Gattuso's side press on the goalkeeper's distribution, pushing their midfield line high to force long balls. Mattia Zaccagni is Lazio's primary chance creator, cutting in from the left to shoot or find runners in the box, while Davide Frattesi has already shown energy and goals in midfield. Losing Marušić and Rovella limits their ability to stretch the pitch and sustain tempo centrally and Gattuso will likely ask his remaining midfielders to press Karlström hard, cutting off Udinese's build up at source.
Davis against Lazio's centre backs is the battle to watch: he holds the ball up well and wins aerial duels at set pieces but Lazio's backline has kept two clean sheets by keeping crosses and knockdowns out of the penalty area. Kamara's overlapping runs will test whether Lazio's full backs can hold their shape without Marušić's recovery pace and if Frattesi's press is sustained, Ekkelenkamp may find the pockets of space he needs simply are not there.
Lazio hold the overall edge across roughly 38 meetings, with around 19 wins to Udinese's 8. The recent trend cuts against that, though: Udinese have not lost in five, including a 3-3 in April 2026, which points to structural problems Lazio have had containing their transitions.
Given how difficult Udinese are to break down from open play, dead ball situations are probably the most realistic route to goal here. Zaccagni or Frattesi running in behind an Udinese side that commits numbers forward at corners is the most likely source of a Lazio opener but Udinese's own delivery is dangerous enough that Lazio's discipline will be tested from the other end too. Lazio's two clean sheets suggest they will absorb rather than chase the game. The first goal, if it comes, is most likely from a dead ball and whoever scores it will probably win.
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?.
