Slumping Udinese puts Kosta Runjaic's future on the line against title-contending Roma

The German manager is facing pressure after a disappointing start of the 2026-2027 season Saturday's match between Udinese and AS Roma will likely decide the future of Bianconeri head coach Kosta Runjaic. The German manager, who made a surprise move to Udinese in the summer of 2024, enjoyed a positive start to his spell at the club. He guided the team to 12th place in his first season and then 10th in the following campaign, while implementing an attractive style of football and helping several key players fulfill their potential. Among them were Nicolo Zaniolo, defender Oumar Solet, English striker Keinan Davis and Arthur Atta, who joined Fiorentina this summer.

However, things became difficult in the first part of the 2026-27 season, and Saturday's match against AS Roma could be a crucial test for his future at the club. Udinese lost six games in a row before drawing 0-0 away to Parma on Wednesday. Despite a solid start to the season, with a convincing home draw against Como on the opening day followed by an away win at Monza, Udinese are now 17th in the standings, with only nine goals scored and 18 conceded in nine matches. That is why the game, played on Halloween, could be the last call for his future at the club, even though the ownership