Super Eagles duo Akor Adams and Maduka Okoye will go head-to-head on Friday (today) when Venezia host Udinese in a Serie A relegation battle at the Stadio Penzo.

Venezia are bottom of the table with three points from 10 games, while Udinese are just two points better off. Both clubs have changed their coach in recent weeks after dismal runs of results.

Venezia replaced Giovanni Stroppa with Davide Nicola after losing their first six games.

Nicola won his first match 1-0 at home to Napoli on October 17, with Adams scoring the only goal. The club has not scored since, losing 1-0 to Genoa, 2-0 to Inter Milan and 1-0 to Como. They have scored just six league goals and are conceding more than two per game.

The 26-year-old Adams joined from Sevilla in July and has two league goals so far. He has said he is ready to do whatever is asked of him.

“I have a lot to learn. I have a lot of room to grow, and I think the coach is here to help me with whatever I need,” he said.

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Okoye comes into the game after a difficult week. Udinese lost 5-2 at home to Roma on October 31, with the goalkeeper beaten five times, four of them in the first half. It came days after he saved a penalty and kept a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw at Parma.

The defeat cost German coach Kosta Runjaic his job. Udinese replaced him with Paolo Zanetti, who led Venezia to promotion in 2021 and now returns to his former club.

Udinese have lost seven of their last eight matches and have five points from 10 games, their worst start to a season this century. They have won five of the last seven league meetings between the sides and beat Venezia in the Coppa Italia earlier this season. However, they have won only once in the top flight at the Penzo.