Sassuolo vs Juventus

Sassuolo and Juventus are set to trade tackles at the Mapei Stadium in contrasting Serie A circumstances.

Hellas Verona pulled off a late comeback to arrest Sassuolo’s eye-catching five-game unbeaten streak in Serie A (W4, D1) and likely condemn ‘I Neroverdi’ to another mid-table finish. Back to Mapei, where they’re unbeaten in three league matches (W2, D1), Alessio Dionisi’s men have amends to make following a woeful 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture last August. But that could be easier said than done, given that the hosts have lost three competitive H2Hs against Juventus on the trot by an aggregate score of 7-2. On a more positive note, they’ve won three of their five home outings in Serie A this calendar year (D1, L1), having won as many in the entire first half of the season (W3, D2, L4). High scoring has been a common theme in Sassuolo’s recent home games, with three of the last five featuring over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet.

Fresh from an all-important 1-0 home win over Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie, Juventus return to Serie A action, looking to bounce back from a gut-wrenching 2-1 defeat at Lazio last time out. That result knocked ‘I Bianconeri’ down from a three-match winning run in Serie A and perhaps landed a fatal blow on their top-four bid, leaving them eight points adrift of fourth-placed AC Milan at the start of this round. Playing on the road won’t lend Massimiliano Allegri’s side a much-needed helping hand, as the lack of consistency has seen them alternate between victories (2) and defeats (2) on their last four league travels. However, Mapei has been a happy hunting ground for the record-time Italian champions, as they’ve won five of their six most recent Serie A visits to Sassuolo (L1).