Juventus vs Sassuolo Match Preview: Classic Encounter, Form, Team News & More

Juventus host Sassuolo in matchday 23 of Serie A on Sunday afternoon, and with Napoli still three points clear at the top, the Old Lady will be looking for nothing but a win against the Black and Greens.

Juventus head into the game with nine wins from their last nine games in all competitions and the team will be in high spirits after their heroic away win against Atalanta in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final clash. 

As for the away side, they currently sit 14th in the league just five points away from the relegation zone. Sassuolo will not head into the game expecting to win, however, they can take confidence from their last fixture against one of the so-called big teams, when they drew 1-1 away to Roma before the winter break.

Classic Encounter

Back in the 2014/15 season, these two sides meet for only the third time in their history. Juventus travelled to the Mapei Stadium at the beginning of the season with the Old Lady heading into the game as favourites, what was to come however would shock the entire league.

Sassuolo got off to a flyer and put the away side under pressure from the first whistle, and their efforts were rewarded as they soon opened the scoring. 

Ex-West Ham man Simone Zaza calmly stroked the ball home from close range after a scramble in the Juventus box and with only 13 minutes gone the home side led.

Giuseppe Bellini/GettyImages

It wasn't long before the Old Lady responded, and they too soon had their first goal of the game. 

In the 19th minute, Paul Pogba found himself free on the edge of the box and the Frenchman curled his shot beautifully into the corner of the Sassuolo net. 

GIUSEPPE CACACE/GettyImages

The game was mostly dominated by the away side from then on, however, the Black and Greens remained resolute at the back. Due to the frustration of not being able to break through the home sides defence the Juventus players became ill-tempered and in added on time defender Simone Padoin was sent off. 

It was a historic day for Sassuolo as the game ended 1-1.

Form

Juventus head into the game with nine straight wins, and eight clean sheets in those run of fixtures. Main man Paulo Dybala has been on top form again this season, however, the Argentine is set to miss the game due to injury. 

German midfielder Sami Khedira has added another dimension to his game this season and currently sits in third in the goalscoring charts for Juventus in Serie A this season. The German scored last time out in the league against Chievo and is very much the form man in the Juventus team.

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As for Sassuolo, they have been somewhat of a mixed bag in recent weeks. An impressive draw away to Roma was recently followed by a dismal home defeat to Atalanta. 

Attacking midfielder Matteo Politano has been outstanding for Sassuolo this season, and despite not scoring since early December the Italian could well be the match winner in what would be an unlikely victory.

Team News

Juventus

Dybala, Juan Cuadrado, Benedikt Höwedes and Federico Bernardeschi are all sidelined for the fixture on Sunday due to injury.

Sassuolo

Timo Letschert is unavailable for the match due to injury, as is Edoardo Goldaniga due to suspension.

Potential Lineups:

Juventus (4-3-3): Buffon - Lichtsteiner, Benatia, Chiellini, Sandro - Pjanic, Khedira, Matuidi - Costa, Higuain, Mandzukic.

Sassuolo (4-3-3): Consigli - Lirola, Lemos, Acerbi, Peluso - Missiroli, Magnanelli, Duncan - Berardi, Babacar, Politano.

Prediction

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Despite being without the influential Dybala a win for the home side is on the cards. Expect Juventus to dominate large parts of the game, with Miralem Pjanic controlling the tempo of the game.

Juventus 3-0 Sassuolo