Sassuolo will be eager to get anything out of a tough game against champions Inter Milan, as relegation looms large for them.
Sassuolo, who face Inter Milan this weekend, have been a pillar of growth and had established themselves as a proper mid-table team since making their Serie A debut ten years ago. The journey might come to an end after four more games, as relegation looms large on the club.
Davide Ballardini’s side have managed just a single victory in their last 15 league games, which paints a grim picture in their pursuit of survival. They had only lost to relegation rivals Lecce and then were soundly beaten by Fiorentina 5-0 during their most recent matchday.
With four games remaining, including the next one against champions Inter Milan, getting anything from this one will be treated as a bonus. In fact, Sassuolo are the only team this season in Serie A to have managed to beat Simone Inzaghi’s men and will certainly dream of another such result. However, things are very different from earlier in the season when they seemed primed for another mid-table finish.
Inter Milan have been nothing short of supreme in the current Serie A season and have only suffered defeat once, which incidentally came against Sassuolo. The Nerazzurri clinched the championship during their away clash with local rivals AC Milan and continued their title celebrations with a win over ten-man Torino last weekend.
With that win, they took their points tally to 89, which primes them to break the 90-point barrier for the third time in their history. Their tally of 97 points from the 2007 season remains the highest for Inter Milan, although Inzaghi will aim to cross the 100-point mark with four games remaining.
With the title done and dusted, Inzaghi will want a solid finish to the campaign, after which they will enter the summer window to see how they can improve their current squad. Overall, the manager will be highly satisfied with the performances this season and will want his men to beat Sassuolo on Saturday.
Team News & Tactics
Sassuolo
Davide Ballardini will have a long list of injured players to contend with, with his key man Domenico Berardi the main name on that list. Marcus Pedersen, Samu Castillejo, Gregoire Defrel, and Luca Lipani are all the others missing from action ahead of this home clash against Inter Milan.
Right-back Ruan Tressoldi is also missing after his yellow against Fiorentina called for an automatic suspension for this clash against Inter Milan. Jeremy Toljan will replace the right-back, while Martin Erlic and Gian Marco Ferrari primed for the central defensive positions, with Josh Doig the preferred choice at left-back.
Daniel Boloca and Uros Racic are the choices to start in the central midfield berth, with Kristian Thorstvedt will feature in the attacking midfield role. Andrea Pinamonti will lead the line for Sassuolo, with Nedim Bajrami and Armand Lauriente on either wing.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Ferrari, Doig; Boloca, Racic; Bajrami, Thorstvedt, Lauriente; Pinamonti
Inter Milan
As things stand, Francesco Acerbi is the only known Inter Milan player to miss out on the clash against Sassuolo on Saturday. Hence, Simone Inzaghi will have a large enough squad to select his strongest lineup, as there are some records to be achieved for the Nerazzurri in the games remaining this season.
There are a few changes anticipated, with Federico Dimarco returning to training after a brief injury layoff. He should replace Carlos Augusto on the left wing, while Yann Sommer is also considered fit enough to start in goal.
The rest of the team should remain similar, with Hakan Calhanoglu and Nicolo Barella all expected to feature in the midfield. In the attack, Marcus Thuram will slot alongside Lautaro Martinez, who is eager to end his goal drought since February.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, De Vrig, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Canhanoglu, Frattesi, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Key Stats
- Sassuolo have had one victory in their last 15 league games.
- Sassuolo have kept only one clean sheet all season.
- Sassuolo are the only side to defeat Inter Milan this season in Serie A.
- Inter have won 14 of their last 16 matches in Serie A.
- Inter Milan have won their last five away matches against Sassuolo in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
It is wild to think of a team that has won the Serie A title, losing one game, and their striker has yet to score a league goal since February. What is even more strange is that in this dry run for the Argentine, he still leads the top scorer charts by a massive seven goals.
Martinez will be hopeful of ending that drought that has spanned over six games, while the striker has missed two games in between. Against a struggling Sassuolo side, the Inter Milan skipper might see a good chance to score a goal and join in the celebrations as he would like to.
Prediction
Sassuolo 0-3 Inter Milan
Sassuolo have struggled of late even to beat their relegation rivals, as seen during their 3-0 loss to Lecce, which casts massive doubts on their credentials against champions Inter Milan. Davide Ballardini’s side have looked toothless this season, and will probably not get anything from this clash.
Inter Milan, on the other hand, are chasing some points records, as they will first want to break the 90-point barrier and then aim for the 100-point haul. Hence, Simone Inzaghi’s side are the clear favourites to get a big win and exact revenge from a side that managed the only victory over them this season.
