Sassuolo vs Napoli Preview: Where to Watch, Recent Form, Kick Off Time & Team News
Sassuolo will welcome second placed Napoli in Serie A action on Sunday, when Carlo Ancelotti's men will be looking to strengthen their grip on that second spot three points.
I Gli Azzurri cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over Salzburg in Thursday night Europa League action, and will look to use that momentum ahead of this fixture. League leaders Juventus are too far ahead for Napoli to catch after extending their lead to 16 points last weekend, leaving Ancelotti's side looking to cement that runners up place.
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Sassuolo have proven to be a difficult team to break down in recent times, and have shown they can be an exciting and adventurous side going forward. The Neroverdi sit in mid-table with 31 points to their name after 26 outings,
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Sunday 10 March |
What Time Is Kick Off? | 17:00 GMT |
Where Is It Played? | Mapei Stadium |
TV Channel/Live Stream | Premier Sports 2 |
Referee? | TBC |
Team News
Gianluca Pegolo will come in for the suspended Andrea Consigli in goal for Sassuolo, while former Chelsea man Jeremie Boga has been proving his worth in recent matches and could earn a spot in the starting lineup over Khouma Babacar.
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Napoli's first choice goalkeeper Alex Meret picked up a suspension for his red against Juventus and will be replaced by David Ospina, while Carlo Ancelotti may decide to rest a few key players after their Thursday night responsibilities.
Predicted Lineups
Sassuolo | Pegolo; Rogerio, Magnani, Ferrari, Lirola; Duncan, Sensi, Locatelli; Djuricic, Babacar, Berardi. |
Napoli | Ospina; Hysaj, Maksimovic, Koulibaly, Rui; Callejon, Allan, Fabian, Zielinski; Milik, Mertens. |
Head to Head Record
Napoli have shared the pitch with Sassuolo on 12 different occasions, and the numbers look grim for the home side. The Neroverdi have only won on one occasions, with Napoli winning a total of seven times, with a total of four fixtures ending in both sides sharing the points.
Their most recent encounter ended in Napoli winning 2-0. Ancelotti will feel confident that his side can get maximum points, but fatigue from Thursday's clash might be a factor.
Recent Form
Fans of the home side will not feel at all confident given their form of late, without a win in their last five. Their most recent encounter was a narrow 1-0 loss to Milan, from which manager Roberto De Zerbi will feel his side deserved more.
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Napoli look to have overcome their controversial 2-1 loss to Juventus, responding with a dominant win over Salzburg in the Europa League. The side has three wins in their last five, tasting defeat only once.
Napoli will surely be focusing on progressing in the Europa League, as the race for the Serie A title seems to be a mountain too high for the Gli Azzurri to climb at this late stage in the season.
Here is how both sides have performed in their last five matches:
Sassuolo | Napoli |
Milan 1-0 Sassuolo (02/03) | Napoli 3-0 Salzburg (07/03) |
Sassuolo 1-1 SPAL (24/02) | Napoli 1-2 Juventus (03/03) |
Empoli 3-0 Sassuolo (17/02) | Parma 0-4 Napoli (24/02) |
Sassuolo 0-3 Juventus (10/02) | Napoli 2-0 Zurich (21/02) |
Genoa 1-1 Sassuolo (03/02) | Napoli 0-0 Torino (17/02) |
Prediction
Sassuolo certainly will not be a walkover, but expect the away side to come out on top despite playing on Thursday. The side from Naples will have too much quality for the home side to deal with.
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The home side could spring up a few surprises for Ancelotti and his men but it will be nothing the second best side in Italy won't be able to deal with.
Prediction: Sassuolo 0-2 Napoli
