Mapei Stadium – Citta del Tricolore is the venue as mid-table Sassuolo and fourth-placed Juventus lock horns in a handsomely-looking Serie A fixture. An exciting match-up in Reggio Emilia will serve to round off Matchday 34 in Italy’s top division.
Despite blowing hot and cold across their last five league outings (W2, D1, L2), Sassuolo are on course to ensure a third successive Serie A top-half finish. Alessio Dionisi’s men have been one of the most entertaining sides to watch this Serie A season, mainly thanks to the relatively inexperienced squad headlined by the highly-rated youngster Hamed Traore.
On the other hand, Juventus thumped Fiorentina 2-0 in midweek Coppa Italia action to make the grand final and stay in the running for a piece of silverware. Other than a decent Coppa Italia campaign, this season has been a disappointment through and through for the record-time Italian champions.
Match Preview
Sassuolo
Since sharing the spoils with Salernitana in a goal-friendly 2-2 draw in mid-March, Sassuolo have alternated between victories and defeats in their last four league matches (W2, L2). Three of those four results (win/loss) have yielded a narrow one-goal margin, highlighting the potential for a tight, keenly-contested affair.
Yet, high scoring has been a common theme in Sassuolo’s recent Serie A fixtures. Before suffering an underwhelming 1-0 defeat at relegation-battling Cagliari last time out, their six consecutive league games had witnessed both teams score in matches garnering 3+ total goals, including the last four at Mapei.
Dionisi’s men have turned their home venue into a fortress. Coming into this matchday, Sassuolo have won three successive Serie A outings at Mapei and could make it four victories on the bounce for the first time in their top-flight history. Additionally, they’ve lost just two home league encounters against sides positioned better than them in the standings all season (W3, D2).
Juventus
Juventus needed Dusan Vlahovic’s late heroics to rescue a point in an uneventful 1-1 home draw with mid-table Bologna last time out. Massimiliano Allegri’s men have struggled with inconsistent showings of late, as evidenced by their indifferent there-game Serie A form (W1, D1, L1).
However, Vlahovic and co have won their last three top-flight games away from home and could extend their winning road streak to four for the first time since February 2019. While Juve’s scoring prowess has been the elephant in the room this season, their recent proficiency in front of goal has been admirable.
Juventus have netted 2+ goals on their last three Serie A travels. But a 2-1 win at Cagliari in their most recent league trip means Allegri’s porous defence has capitulated in four straight Serie A games on hostile turf, casting doubt on their ability to hold Sassuolo’s free-scoring attack at bay.
Sassuolo vs Juventus Team News
Pedro Obiang and Jeremy Toljan are unavailable for selection in the Sassuolo camp, while Abdou Harroui could make the bench after recovering from a minor physical problem. After missing out on a couple of fixtures with injury, standout forward Domenico Berardi could start the game.
Juventus cannot call upon the services of Arthur, Manuel Locatelli and Weston McKennie, as revealed by Allegri during the presser. Speaking to Juventus’ website, the experienced tactician opened up the possibility for Adrien Rabiot, Danilo and Denis Zakaria to make the cut.
Sassuolo Potential Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Andrea Consigli; Ruan Tressoldi, Vlad Chiriches, Gian Marco Ferrari, Giorgos Kyriakopoulos; Francesco Magnanelli, Maxime Lopez; Domenico Berardi, Giacomo Raspadori, Hamed Traore; Gianluca Scamacca.
Juventus Potential Starting XI (4-4-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Juan Cuadrado, Leonardo Bonucci, Matthijs de Ligt, Alex Sandro; Federico Bernardeschi, Denis Zakaria, Adrien Rabiot, Luca Pellegrini; Paulo Dybala, Dusan Vlahovic.