Udinese return after the international break on Sunday, when they will face Bologna at the Renato Dall’Ara. Coach Andrea Sottil is looking for his team to pick up where they left off. “The international break always interrupts your flow, but we’ve been able to make the most of the opportunity for our players to recover from injury and find their fitness. A lot of the squad were called up to their national teams so there were only ten of us, but I think this is an issue lots of clubs face. We still had a good week, tailoring our training sessions. The guys worked hard and right from the start of the week, the players were focused and there was a nice atmosphere. Our main goal is to go to Bologna to get a result.”
Sottil knows it won’t be an easy thing to do. “Bologna are a tough team, with a lot of quality. We must be very tactically astute and well-organised. I’m expecting a hard-fought match with two teams who’ll play football. In order to win, we must be show tactical awareness, patience and intelligence both on and off the ball. The important thing is to go out there knowing that we can cause them problems and being aware of our strengths. We absolutely want to continue our positive run.”
Unfortunately, the Udinese players won’t have their coach in the dugout for the match on account of his suspension. “It’s a shame I can’t be on the bench. Luca has been a great colleague and friend from a number of years, so I have no doubts about what he can do. It’s a shame I won’t be close to the boys and get to experience the match close-hand. I have to accept this suspension because it’s part of the game. At least I’ll get a better view of the match!”