Udinese coach Andrea Sottil makes plea to fans for Salernitana clash | OneFootball

Udinese coach Andrea Sottil is hoping for a big crowd against Salernitana this weekend.

Sottil is ready for his first home game in Serie A, with Salernitana providing the opposition for Udinese at Dacia Arena on Saturday. Ahead of the match, the coach discussed how his side have been preparing for it.

“We've had a good week of training. I've spoken to the lads about what we need to work on and how they can improve on the good things they did in Milan. We've been focusing mainly on physical work and intensity to increase the overall condition of the squad. I'm happy with how they've been working – we're all very focused on our first home game. We're keen to produce a big performance and start with a good result against a tricky, pragmatic team.

“We were disappointed to lose to AC Milan but we realise that we played well. Not many teams can go to San Siro, score two and create numerous decent chances in the box. You have to learn from defeats and go again, making sure you improve and don't repeat mistakes.

“I was happy with our attacking movement in Milan. It's something we analysed with the lads and they were humble enough to admit their mistakes. Sometimes you make the wrong decision in a match situation. We do need to improve our finishing though. We created lots of openings at San Siro and we have quality midfielders and forwards who can get into shooting positions. I know we'll score goals because I see them in training every day."

Sottil then outlined what he expects from tomorrow's visitors.

“Salernitana are a solid side who play vertical football and are aggressive on the second balls. I don't know if or how [Davide] Nicola will use their new signings. [Antonio] Candreva was thrown straight in for the first game, for example. We've studied them and we'll show them the respect they deserve, as we did against AC Milan, but we'll focus on our own game.

“We'll attack and defend as we've trained for. We have a great engine and we've worked on faster distribution, playing it forward and running into space. With the players we've got, we can play nice football and up the tempo. We need to use the anger from not getting more from our opening game and turn it into determination tomorrow."

Hundreds of fans showed their support by attending the team's final training session on Friday – and Sottil is hoping they will provide an extra gear for his side.

“It's always nice to have your own fans behind you. I know what the Udinese fans are like and Dacia Arena helps make their presence felt. I hope we get a big crowd tomorrow to drive the team on and make sure we start on the right foot at home."