Juventus will aim to maintain their unbeaten start to the Serie A campaign when they travel to face Sassuolo.
Sassuolo will play their sixth match of the season on Sunday when they host Juventus. Their start to the Serie A campaign has been mixed. Former Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani is currently in charge, and following a difficult opening-day defeat, the Neroverdi have put together a league win and a draw.
The latest result was a 2-2 draw away to rivals Bologna. Sassuolo appeared close to securing a victory before Artem Dovbyk scored a late equaliser to share the spoils. Having also won both of their Coppa Italia matches, Sassuolo will hope to continue improving their league performances when they welcome unbeaten Juventus.
Luciano Spalletti has concerns over his team’s goalscoring form, with neither of his strikers, Nick Woltemade and Randal Kolo Muani, having found the net so far. Despite their problems in attack, Juventus remain unbeaten in Serie A, with two wins and a draw from their opening three matches. Victories over Frosinone and Parma have placed them in a strong position.
Last weekend provided Juventus with their first real test of character when they hosted AC Milan in Turin. Ruben Amorim’s team gave them a difficult challenge and looked set to secure an important victory before Federico Gatti’s header earned the Bianconeri a point. Spalletti will now aim to return to winning ways when he takes his team to Sassuolo.
Team News & Tactics
Sassuolo
Alberto Aquilani has several injury concerns to manage ahead of the home match against Juventus. The hosts could be without as many as five first-team players, while Darryl Bakola is a major doubt.
Ismael Kone, Fali Cande, Edoardo Pieragnolo, Daniel Boloca, and Cristian Volpato are all expected to miss out. Aquilani is likely to retain his 4-3-3 formation, with Jay Idzes and Fedde Leysen forming the central defensive partnership. Simone Cinquegrano and Josh Doig should occupy the full-back positions.
Serbian veteran Nemanja Matic is expected to sit at the base of midfield, with Vasilije Adzic and the doubtful Bakola alongside him. Bakola’s involvement will depend on a late fitness assessment. Sebastiano Esposito and Armand Lauriente should provide width in the front three, while Kieron Bowie is expected to lead the line for Sassuolo against Juventus.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Muric; Cinquegrano, Idzes, Leysen, Doig; Adzic, Matic, Bakola; Esposito, Bowie, Lauriente
Juventus
The Bianconeri also have several injury concerns, with a number of first-team players unavailable and others doubtful for the weekend. Weston McKennie is still recovering from a recurring fitness issue, meaning his selection will depend on a late assessment. The same applies to Andrea Cambiaso and summer signing Pape Matar Sarr.
Star attacker Kenan Yildiz remains sidelined for several weeks, while Luciano Spalletti will also be without Khephren Thuram, Juan Cabal, Manuel Locatelli, and Jeremie Boga. Those absences include a significant portion of his preferred midfield options.
Douglas Luiz and Teun Koopmeiners are expected to form the double pivot, with Nico Gonzalez likely to operate as the No. 10. Summer signing Kerim Alajbegovic could continue on the left flank, while Francisco Conceicao and Kolo Muani complete the attacking setup.
Probable lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Kalulu, Bremer, Lucumi, Celik; Luiz, Koopmeiners; Conceicao, Gonzalez, Alajbegovic; Kolo Muani
Key Stats
- Sassuolo have won two of their last three home meetings with Juventus at the Mapei Stadium.
- Sassuolo have won three of their last four matches in all competitions.
- Juventus are unbeaten after their opening three Serie A matches.
- Juventus have scored only four goals from 55 attempts in Serie A this season.
Player to Watch
Randal Kolo Muani
After a difficult loan spell at Tottenham, Kolo Muani returned to familiar surroundings in Turin and secured his desired permanent move to Juventus during the summer. However, the French striker is yet to rediscover his best form and has not scored so far this season.
Luciano Spalletti struggled with a lack of goals from his strikers last season, and the same problem has emerged again this campaign. Neither Kolo Muani nor summer signing Woltemade has found the net. It is time for the Frenchman to rediscover his scoring touch, establish a consistent run of goals and give Juventus greater attacking strength.
Prediction
Sassuolo 1-1 Juventus
Sassuolo have made a decent start to the campaign and could continue their progress against Juventus at home. Alberto Aquilani is gradually getting the best out of his squad, and that could cause problems for an injury-hit Juventus team.
Luciano Spalletti’s side have struggled in front of goal and need their attackers to provide greater inspiration. However, this could prove to be another frustrating outing for Juventus, with the match potentially ending in a closely contested draw.
