Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore is the venue, as mid-table Sassuolo and European hopefuls Juventus go head-to-head on Sunday evening. The two teams, standing on contrasting sides of the motivation spectrum, have experienced identical fortunes in their last three outings.
With nothing but pride left to play for, Sassuolo fell to a stomach-wrenching 2-1 defeat at relegation-fighting Hellas Verona last weekend. Verona’s late comeback knocked the Neroverdi down from a five-match unbeaten streak in Serie A (W4, D1) and condemned them to a second straight league match without a win.
Despite Sassuolo’s decent spell of form since mid-February, they’re set for another mid-table finish. While they’re comfortable clear of the drop zone, a late European push seems unlikely as they trail sixth-placed Atalanta by a massive 11 points. If it’s any consolation, with tenth-placed Udinese only two points away at the start of this round, they could still gun for top-half places.
Unlike their hosts, Juventus still have plenty to desire down the final stretch, even though their pursuit of Champions League placings took a knock with a 15-point deduction. Last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at Lazio landed another blow on the visitors’ top-four charge, leaving them eight points adrift of fourth-placed Milan. That result also snapped Juve’s three-match winning streak in Serie A.
But Massimiliano Allegri’s men still have an alternate route into next season’s Champions League group stages. After Federico Gatti’s late winner handed Juventus a 1-0 first-leg win over Sporting CP, the Binconeri are on the verge of reaching the Europa League semi-finals.
Match Preview
Sassuolo
Sassuolo have a score to settle with Juventus following an embarrassing 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture in Turin. But that’s more of a Herculean task, considering they’ve lost their last three competitive meetings with the Bianconeri by an aggregate score of 7-2. On top of that, they’ve suffered five defeats in six home league H2Hs (D1) since a 1-0 win in 2015.
There’s a reason for optimism, though. After managing just three wins in nine home matches in the first half of the 2022/23 Serie A season (D2, L4), Alessio Dionisi’s men have recorded three triumphs in five league outings at Mapei in 2023 (D1, L1). Moreover, Sassuolo have emerged victorious in three of their last four top-flight clashes against sides in the top seven positions of the table at the start of the matchday (L1).
Player to Watch: Armand Lauriente
Armand Lauriente has been a revelation this season and could be on his way out of Sassuolo in the summer. But before he hits the road, Juventus could fall victim to his penchants for opening the scoring at Mapei. Three of his four league goals at home this term have served as match openers.
Juventus
After tallying six wins on seven Serie A travels (L1) between October 2022 and February 2023, Juventus have lost twice in their last three away league games (W1). However, it’s worth noting they went down to Roma and Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in that run. By contrast, they’ve won all three top-flight visits to bottom-half opponents in 2023 without conceding.
Scoring has been an issue, though. Allegri’s men have netted precisely once in their last five outings across all competitions. But they could be an attacking menace from set-piece plays, with only Napoli (22) bagging more goals from such situations this season than Juventus (19). A set-piece actually led to their hard-fought win over Sporting last time out.
Player to Watch: Dusan Vlahovic
Although Dusan Vlahovic is not having a great time in Turin, he could be a danger man on Sunday. The Serb has scored four times against Sassuolo in Serie A, including a match-winning double in the reverse fixture.
Team News
In addition to long-term absentee Mert Muldur, Sassuolo boss Dionisi is still sweating over standout performer Domenico Berardi. The Italian winger’s participation is in doubt due to a minor muscular problem. But considering only one of his 107 Serie A goals has come against Juventus, it may not be a huge blow for the Neroverdi.
As for Juventus, Alex Sandro serves a yellow-card suspension. He’s not the only definite absentee, as Kaio Jorge has yet to recover from a long-term knee injury. First-choice goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is also unavailable after being withdrawn due to chest pain on Thursday.
But Allegri welcomed Paul Pogba back to the team against Sporting, with the Frenchman lining up only his third Serie A appearance this season.
Sassuolo vs Juventus Potential Lineups
Sassuolo (4-3-3): Andrea Consigli; Jeremy Toljan, Martin Erlic, Gian Marco Ferrari, Rogerio; Davide Frattesi, Maxime Lopez, Matheus Henrique; Nedim Bajrami, Andrea Pinamonti, Armand Lauriente.
Juventus (3-5-2): Mattia Perin; Danilo, Gleison Bremer, Federico Gatti; Juan Cuadrado, Nicolo Fagioli, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot, Filip Kostic; Moise Kean, Dusan Vlahovic.
Sassuolo vs Juventus Prediction
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