Europa league match schedule
The Udinese-based club are 12th in the Serie A table at the moment with 21 points from 16 games.
Udinese will head into the Serie A game against Lazio in Udine this weekend on the back of a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Fiorentina on the road in the league. Ivan Provedel will be in goal and will have Adam Marusic, Mario Gila, Alessio Romagnoli and Luca Pellegrini in front of him in defence.
Udinese strengthened their squad with the signings of Arthur Atta, Lennon Miller, Adam Buksa and Nicolo Bertola, among others, in the summer of 2025.
With more midweek fixtures to accommodate, the Premier League has been forced to find alternative slots for its domestic rounds.
That isn’t the only factor, though. Razvan Sava will be in goal and will have Thomas Kristensen, Christian Kabasele and Oumar Solet in front of him in defence. However, many fans will be left scratching their heads at the wider schedule, as the rest of the Premier League’s fixtures are spread across three days.
And for those wanting a break from English football, there are also several Africa Cup of Nations matches to enjoy, with tournament favourites and hosts Morocco in action on Boxing Day as well.
Although the festive period is beginning to wind down, December 26 is usually the perfect excuse to settle in front of the TV and binge on the beautiful game.
It came after a 1-0 win against Parma on the road in Serie A, which followed a 1-1 draw with Bologna in Rome in the league.
Team News:
Lazio are likely to line up in a 4-3-3 formation against Udinese. Alessandro Zanoli, Jesper Karlstrom, Jakub Piotrowski and Nicolo Bertola will be the four midfielders. Because the league is committed to a set number of weekend fixtures, most matches were pushed to Saturday and Sunday to preserve the traditional weekend schedule.
In addition, new agreements with clubs guarantee that no team will play two matches within 60 hours during the festive period.
Nicolo Zaniolo and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp will be deployed in attacking midfield. It came after a 1-0 victory over Napoli in front of their fans in Serie A, which followed a 2-1 loss at the hands of Genoa at the Bluenergy Stadium.
Team News:
Udinese are likely to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation against Lazio. The league can give an assurance that next season there will be more Premier League matches on Boxing Day – as the date falls on a Saturday.”
The Premier League added: “As with previous years, and in keeping with our commitment to clubs, special arrangements have been made to allow more time between games played across the festive period.
This further limits scheduling flexibility in December, leaving little scope to move more matches onto the Boxing Day holiday.
Premier League Releases Statement Amid Fixture Scheduling Changes
A statement from the Premier League said: “The Premier League would like to acknowledge the circumstances that have led to a reduced number of matches on Boxing Day this season - impacting an important tradition in English football.
"There are now several challenges to Premier League fixture scheduling rooted in the expansion of European club competitions - which led to a revision of our domestic calendar ahead of last season, including changes to the FA Cup.
"This ultimately left the Premier League as a 33-weekend competition – fewer than previous seasons, despite being a 380-match competition since 1995.
Spreading fixtures across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday ensures squads receive the required recovery time between Gameweeks 18 and 19. Traditionally, the day after Christmas has been the busiest football day of the year, making this departure from convention all the more surprising.
Man Utd vs Newcastle: Team News and Predicted Lineups for Premier League
Manchester United host Newcastle United in a crucial Premier League match.
For fans looking to quench their football thirst, Birmingham City face Derby County at 12:30pm, before a tricky choice arrives at 3pm, when Sky Sports viewers can choose from 33 fixtures across the Championship, League One, and League Two.
Hollywood-owned Wrexham then take on Sheffield United at 5:30pm. This will allow greater time for players to recover with the rest periods between rounds 18, 19 and 20 being increased to ensure that no club plays within 60 hours of another match.”
Just because England’s top flight isn’t serving up a festive feast this year doesn’t mean the rest of the country has followed suit.
According to The Mirror, Boxing Day falling on a Friday also creates broadcast complications. Lazio are seven points behind fourth-placed AS Roma, and while winning the Scudetto is out of the question, they are still very much in the race for the Champions League places.
Lazio will head into the Serie A game against Udinese this weekend on the back of a goalless draw with Cremonese at Stadio Olimpico in Rome in the league.