Cristian Chivu has urged his Inter side to keep "growing, improving and adding more to our game" as they look to continue their perfect start in Serie A.

Inter have won all three of their league matches so far in 2026-27, beating Monza and Cagliari before coming from 2-0 down to earn a dramatic 3-2 win over Napoli.

However, they come into this match on the back of a defeat, having gone down 2-1 against Real Madrid and former manager Jose Mourinho in the Champions League in midweek.

Inter faced criticism for failing to get a result against Madrid, but Chivu is not concerned about their performance at the Bernabeu and remains confident they will bounce back in Serie A.

"We're calm, as always. Our objective is to keep growing, improving and adding more to our game," he said.

"It's still too early to draw conclusions: we're only a few weeks into the season, but I'm already seeing some very encouraging signs from the team.

"If you judge us purely on the result, then criticism is understandable, but our focus is on the principles we want to develop and the progress we're making.

"We can't lose sight of the good things we showed, not only against Real Madrid but against Napoli as well. When games come in quick succession, I prefer to look at them together.

"We put a lot into the Napoli game and then, 72 hours later, went to the Bernabeu. You have to take a broader view, identify the positives from both performances and keep moving in the direction we've set for ourselves."

Udinese made an unbeaten start to the campaign, drawing with Como and beating Monza, though they were beaten 2-1 by Lazio last time out.

In this exact fixture last season, back on MD2 of the 2025-26 campaign, Udinese emerged as 2-1, but Chivu has been impressed with the strides his team made after that defeat.

"The clearest difference is that we now have two more trophies, and that is significant," Chivu replied when asked what was different since that loss.

"I think it's important to remember where we started: last season, we went into our second league game and lost at home. A year on, we're Italian champions and Coppa Italia winners, so there has clearly been real progress.

"At the same time, we're still working to add new elements to the way we play. There is always room to improve; the players are fully aware of that, and they're putting a lot into carrying out what we ask of them."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Inter – Lautaro Martinez

Martinez and Hakan Calhanoglu are the only two players in Serie A this season to have scored at least one goal against each of the 19 opponents currently in the competition.

Martinez has scored seven goals against Udinese in Serie A.

Udinese – Keinan Davis

Davis' only Serie A match in which he both scored and assisted was in this exact fixture last season against Inter at San Siro.

After assisting against Lazio last time out, he could be involved in a goal in consecutive appearances in the competition for the first time since last March (scoring against Fiorentina and Atalanta).

MATCH PREDICTION: INTER WIN

Inter have won 18 of their last 23 Serie A matches against Udinese (D2 L3); only Roma (19) have recorded more victories against them in the competition in the same period (since the start of 2015).

Udinese won their last Serie A away game against Inter, following a run of seven consecutive away defeats; the last time the Bianconeri recorded two consecutive away wins against the Nerazzurri was between 2011 and 2013.

Indeed, Udinese have avoided defeat in seven of their last 10 Serie A matches against Inter played within the first five matchdays of the season (W3 D4 L3), including a win in the last campaign.

However, Inter, who have won their first three Serie A games this season with an aggregate score of 8-3, could record four wins in their opening four league matches for the ninth time in their history.

Udinese have won four of their last six Serie A away games (D1 L1), including their first of the current campaign; they could win both of their first two away matches in a top-flight season for the second consecutive campaign.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Inter – 71.4%

Draw – 17.2%

Udinese – 11.4%