Serie A Preview: Sassuolo vs Inter – Team News, Lineups & Prediction | OneFootball

Mapei Stadium is the venue as Sassuolo and Inter go head-to-head in an exciting Serie A showdown on Sunday evening. With both sides entering this round in a rich vein of form, it promises to be a spectacle in Emilia-Romagna. 

With relegation fears staved off, after back-to-back wins over Pisa and Cremonese extended their lead over 18th-placed Fiorentina to 11 points, Sassuolo will be out to avenge a 2-1 defeat from September’s reverse fixture. Manager Fabio Grosso meets his former club in high spirits, as his team can move to the upper half of the table with a win here.

However, that could prove easier said than done, even though Sassuolo beat Inter in their last meeting at this stadium. Indeed, the visitors roll into town in a buoyant mood, having won four consecutive league matches since a 2-2 home draw against defending champions, Napoli, in early January.

Furthermore, Cristian Chivu’s men have beaten newly promoted Pisa and Cremonese in the last two Serie A rounds via an aggregate score of 8-2. As a result, they sit comfortably at the top of the standings, boasting a five-point lead over second-placed Milan.

Match Preview

Sassuolo

Seeking a first set of three consecutive wins in all competitions this season, Sassuolo will be out to defy their recent struggles at the Mapei Stadium. An underwhelming run of just two wins from their last eight home outings (D2, L4) paints a bleak picture, though they can take heart from beating Cremonese in their most recent fixture here.

That triumph only served to end a three-game winless home streak (D1, L2) during which they scored just a single goal. Against this backdrop, Grosso’s charges have bagged precisely one goal across their last three home league clashes against Inter (W1, L2). With Domenico Berardi back from injury, Sassuolo should feel confident about maintaining that trend.

One goal is unlikely to be enough for all three points, as the Neroverdi aim to win three Serie A games in a row for the first time since March 2023. Indeed, the hosts have conceded exactly once in five of their last eight home matches in Serie A, highlighting their leaky backline as a potential source for concern.

Inter

If there’s a side capable of punishing every defensive mistake, it’s Serie A’s top scorers, Inter. Chivu’s high-flying side netted at least two goals in four successive games since a 3-1 home defeat to Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League, including a 2-1 victory over Torino in midweek Coppa Italia action.

Topically, Inter remain the only side in Serie A to have smashed a 50-goal barrier this season (52), scoring at least 13 goals more than any other team in the division. However, it’s worth noting that only 36.54% of those goals have come on the road (19/52), with the Nerazzurri averaging 1.72 goals per away league match.

Despite that, Inter have emerged as Serie A’s best traveling team (W9, L2), winning their last seven away league games, which is the third-longest winning sequence in their top-flight history. More importantly, Inter’s defensive solidity has started matching their scoring prowess, with the visitors keeping a clean sheet in their last five away fixtures across all competitions.

Team News

Sassuolo will be without long-term absentees Edoardo Pieragnolo and Fali Cande. Daniel Boloca is also likely to sit out this meeting due to a knee injury. Second-choice goalkeeper Stefano Turati is sidelined with illness, but Arijanet Muric would’ve started between the sticks anyway.

As for Inter, Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, and Hakan Calhanoglu remain in the pits. However, after making eight changes to his starting lineup on Wednesday, Chivu can rely on the fresh legs of Lautaro Martinez, Piotr Zielinski, and Federico Dimarco, all of whom are set to start tonight.

Sassuolo vs Inter Potential Starting Lineups

Sassuolo (4-3-3): Muric; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Muharemovic, Doig; Thorstvedt, Matic, Kone; Berardi, Pinamonti, Lauriente.

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Henrique, Sucic, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez.

Sassuolo vs Inter Prediction

Inter have been head and shoulders above the rest in Serie A this season, and it’s only reasonable to expect Chivu’s side to stretch their winning streak here. Though Sassuolo will not go down without a fight, the Nerazzurri should have more than enough firepower to outscore the likes of Armand Lauriente, Andrea Pinamonti, and Berardi.