Udinese and Parma meet Saturday at Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy, with the home side listed as a -144 favorite and the total set at 3. Udinese comes in at 12-7-13, while Parma is 8-12-12, setting up a matchup between a team that has 43 points and another that has 36.
Maduka Okoye is listed in goal for Udinese, and Zion Suzuki is listed for Parma. That places two keepers with contrasting resumes in the spotlight as the teams try to steady seasons defined as much by defensive leaks as by attacking flashes.
Udinese has given up 47 goals and scored 38, leaving it with a -9 goal differential, 25 assists and 9 shutouts. It ranks third in xG at 22.2 and has 20.9 xGA, while also logging 83 saves and a 61.8% save percentage. The discipline profile is busy too, with 62 yellow card warnings and one red card.
Parma has scored 23 goals and allowed 40, with a -17 goal differential, 12 assists and four red cards. It is listed with an xG of 18.5, a shutout percentage of 31.3%, 58 yellow card warnings and 93 saves. Its goals against per 90 minutes is 1.25, a figure that underscores how often opponents have found chances against it.
Okoye’s numbers show a goalkeeper who has been through plenty of volume over his career. He has seen 6,216 minutes, made 204 saves and posted 17 clean sheets in 70 career starts, while allowing 96 goals and carrying a 1.39 goals-against average per 90 minutes. His save percentage stands at 70.3%, a stronger mark than the team number beside him this season.
Suzuki brings a different profile. In 4,664 career minutes, he has faced 216 shots, made 145 stops and recorded 10 clean sheets. He has allowed 75 goals, owns an 8-22-22 career mark and has a 67.1% save percentage, with a clean sheet rate listed at 19.3% and 1.45 goals allowed per 90 minutes.
The matchup also carries two attackers who can tilt it if the service arrives. Nicolo Zaniolo has 39 career goals, 22 assists and 100 career points, while Mateo Pellegrino has 26 goals and 56 points in 6,927 minutes. For a game priced tight to Udinese and set with a total of 3, the edge may come down to which side finishes better after the first break in shape.
That is where the tension sits. Udinese has the stronger record, the better xG profile and the home field, but Parma arrives with enough attack to make the favorite work, and the goalkeeper duel may matter as much as the table positions do.