Soccer Italy Serie A Prediction

Sassuolo vs Monza - Match Preview

⚽ 19 May 2023 - 18:45 GMT +0

Sassuolo threatened a comeback from 3-0 down, but eventually lost 4-2 to Inter Milan last weekend with coach Alessio Dionisi believing that they lost because of the Nerazzurri’s “individual quality.” With nothing left to play for, motivating the squad is proving to be an uphill battle with the Neroverdi winning only two of their last eight Serie A (SA) matches (D2, L4).

If Dionisi is looking to inspire his squad, reminding them they’ve not lost consecutive matches since mid-January could be a good way to do that. They were on a four-match losing streak then, a run that was ended by a 1-1 draw with Monza in this season’s reverse fixture. Sassuolo will therefore be confident of getting back on the winning trail, especially as they’re unbeaten in six at the Mapei Stadium (W4, D2).

Monza achieved another impressive feat in their debut top-flight season by becoming the first newly-promoted SA side since 2013/14 to reach 49 points from 35 matches thanks to a seven-game unbeaten run (W4, D3). That was bookended by a 2-0 win over newly-crowned champions Napoli, with the result making them the only team in this league campaign to win at least once against the current top three without conceding a goal.

The visitors are still outsiders to finish in the top eight but retain a slim chance of qualifying for Europe if circumstances elsewhere conspire to benefit them. The Biancorossi will be full steam ahead to the finish then, and having lost just once in SA on the road in 2023 (W5, D4), Raffaele Palladino’s men will be a tough nut to crack here.

📋 Players to watch: Sassuolo’s Domenico Berardi has been at the forefront of the action in his last five appearances (G3, A2, YC1) while Andrea Petagna has scored two of Monza’s last three goals, and is looking for a first personal H2H win since 2018 (D3, L4 since).

⚡ Hot stat: Monza have conceded 11 of their last 13 away league goals in the second half.