Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Serie A clash between Sassuolo and Roma, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
After suffering back-to-back defeats in the past week, Roma aim to respond by posting a fourth straight Serie A away win when they visit Sassuolo on Sunday.
The Giallorossi have started to stumble of late, losing two Europa League fixtures and being beaten at home last weekend; meanwhile, their promoted hosts have been busy picking up points.
Match preview
Having lost to Lille in bizarre circumstances on matchday two – seeing three consecutive penalties saved – Roma endured another Europa League setback on Thursday, when playing host to Viktoria Plzen.
After conceding two quickfire strikes midway through the first half, they could only muster a Paulo Dybala penalty in response, and frustrated coach Gian Piero Gasperini publicly laid into his misfiring strikers after a tame 2-1 defeat.
Previously, his team had drawn a blank at home to Inter Milan, with a 1-0 home loss dropping them down to fourth place in the Serie A standings.
While Roma are struggling to score and now face an uphill task to claim a top-eight finish in the Europa League table, they still have a solid base to build on.
Continuing an impressive record throughout 2025, the Giallorossi boast Serie A’s best defensive stats this term: four clean sheets from seven matches, only three goals conceded – and none from set pieces.
Furthermore, in the calendar year, no team has earned more away points across Europe’s top five leagues, with a superb record of 10 wins from 13 on the road.
Looking back into the history books, Roma have also won more than half of their 11 previous league meetings with Sassuolo in Reggio-Emilia, only failing to score once.
However, that will all count for nothing if they suffer a third straight loss on Sunday afternoon.
To date, Sassuolo have won just two of 22 Serie A matches against Roma, despite regularly giving both Milan clubs and Juventus a run for their money down the years.
The Emilian side come into this contest having claimed seven points from their last three matches, taking them into the top half of the table.
Last week’s 0-0 draw away to Lecce also made it consecutive clean sheets for Fabio Grosso‘s men, who last conceded a league goal in September.
Since topping Serie B last term, the Neroverdi have adapted to Italy’s elite level seamlessly under the guidance of Grosso, which should come as no surprise given the relative strength of their squad.
Though star man Domenico Berardi has had a few more fitness issues to deal with, Armand Lauriente and Andrea Pinamonti have both found the target in recent weeks – that trio must now pit their wits against Roma’s league-leading rearguard.
Sassuolo Serie A form:
L W L W W D
Sassuolo form (all competitions):
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Roma Serie A form:
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Roma form (all competitions):
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Team News
Gasperini seems to have lost faith with his centre-forwards, fielding the diminutive Dybala as a false nine against Inter before hauling Artem Dovbyk off in midweek.
The latter’s deputy Evan Ferguson has not scored at club level for a whole year, so it remains to be seen how Roma’s attack will shape up.
Another concern is the fitness of midfield dynamo Manu Kone, who limped off at the interval of Thursday’s loss to Viktoria Plzen; he may have to join Spanish wing-back Angelino on the sidelines.
While Dybala has scored eight Serie A goals against Sassuolo – including a hat-trick for Juventus back in 2017 – the hosts’ main striker has previously found the net five times versus Roma.
Once again, Pinamonti will be flanked by Lauriente and Berardi at the top of a familiar 4-3-3 formation.
Edoardo Pieragnolo, Yeferson Paz, Daniel Boloca and Tarik Muharemovic are the Neroverdi’s injured absentees.
Sassuolo possible starting lineup:
Muric; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Romagna, Doig; Kone, Matic, Vranckx; Berardi, Pinamonti, Lauriente
Roma possible starting lineup:
Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka; Wesley, Cristante, El Aynaoui, Tsimikas; Soule, Pellegrini; Dybala
We say: Sassuolo 1-1 Roma
Both teams have proved tough to score against in Serie A over recent weeks, so a tight contest could be on the cards.
Roma’s away form has been particularly impressive, but they are now lacking confidence in the final third, while Sassuolo should score at least once.
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