Francesco Guidolin says it's like a Final against Celtic, but won’t confirm whether Antonio Di Natale will start for Udinese” data-scaytid=”3″>Udinese in the Europa League crunch match.
Francesco Guidolin says it's like a Final against Celtic, but won’t confirm whether Antonio Di Natale will start for Udinese in the Europa League crunch match.
Thursday’s encounter at the Stadio Friuli is decisive, but the Italians will only go out if they lose to the Scottish side, so they could rotate the squad again.
“I have almost everyone at my disposal and will decide tomorrow,” revealed Guidolin in his Press conference.
“We will try to get through this round with all our strength. It is like a Final and we have to be prepared. It will take a great Udinese to be a side of tradition like Celtic. I will decide the line-up and didn’t say Di Natale won’t be there.
“I would compare Celtic to a good Serie A team. They have good players, great individuals, pace and temperament. They have character.”
Udinese earned a 1-1 draw in Glasgow with their below-strength line-up, but picked up just one point from their last two Europa League games.
“The game in Scotland counts for little, as tomorrow it’s in or out. In tactical, psychological and stress terms, it’s all different. Having two results at our disposal is both a resource and a danger. We must be very careful to develop the game the way we want to. We’re unable to make calculations, as they tend to cause problems.”
Despite the decisive nature of the final group phase game, a small crowd is expected at the Stadio Friuli on Thursday.
“In Italy competitions like the Coppa Italia and Europa League don’t draw as much interest as in other countries. I don’t know why.
“It is going to be a difficult week for us, as we’ll have three crucial games against Celtic, Lazio and Juventus in six days, concentrating on one match at a time. I don’t want to cause controversy, but I wonder if other Italian teams have a similar schedule.”