Monza are licking wounds after a brutal opening-day trip to San Siro, where Ivan Jurić's new-look side were picked apart by the champions. The brief tells us they were busy in the market — Patrick Cutrone and Gustavo Varela up top, Idrissa Touré in midfield, Foe Ondoa at the back — but a rebuild takes time, and time is the one thing Serie A doesn't give you. Jurić is a fire-and-brimstone coach, all aggression and verticality, but his 3-4-2-1 needs runners in the half-spaces and a striker who can hold the ball up. Cutrone can do that, but the supporting cast is still gelling. Missing captain Matteo Pessina is a hammer blow — he's the brain in that midfield, the one who sets the tempo. Without him, Monza lack a conductor.

Udinese, by contrast, look settled and dangerous. Their 3-4-2-1 has real teeth: Zaniolo and Ekkelenkamp buzzing off a lone striker, with Karlstrom and Piotrowski pulling strings in the double pivot. They've already started the season with a win — the brief mentions a successful start — and that momentum is gold. This is a side that knows exactly how they want to play: sit in a mid-block, spring through the wide channels, and let Zaniolo do something filthy in the final third. On paper, and on recent evidence, they're the sharper outfit.