Udinese Calcio faded slightly compared to its record-breaking 1997–98 season, in which it finished third in Serie A. With top scorer Oliver Bierhoff, midfielder Thomas Helveg, and coach Alberto Zaccheroni all departing for Milan, Udinese appeared to be on the back foot prior to the start of the season.
Márcio Amoroso proved to be a worthy replacement for Bierhoff, scoring 22 goals after taking on increased responsibility. With this performance, Amoroso became the top scorer himself before departing for Parma, which paid a substantial sum for him.
The highlight of Udinese's season was qualifying for the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup, which was secured in a playoff against Juventus, as both clubs were tied on points for sixth place. Thanks to a goalless draw at home and Paolo Poggi's equalizer in Turin, Udinese clinched sixth place and the UEFA Cup slot.
Squad
Goalkeepers Luigi Turci Harald Wapenaar
Defenders Valerio Bertotto Alessandro Calori Mohammed Gargo Régis Genaux Mauro Navas Alessandro Pierini Marco Zanchi
Midfielders Stephen Appiah Jonathan Bachini Morten Bisgaard Giuliano Giannichedda Martin Jørgensen Tomas Locatelli Eli Louhenapessy Mauricio Pineda Johan Walem Henry van der Vegt
Attackers Márcio Amoroso Hazem Emam Paolo Poggi Roberto Sosa Patrik Fredholm
Competitions
Serie A
League table
Matches
UEFA Cup qualification
6th and 7th of Serie A:
(Udinese therefore declared sixth in the league standings. Udinese qualified for the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup).
Top scorers
Márcio Amoroso 22 Roberto Sosa 10 Martin Jørgensen 4
UEFA Cup
First round
References