Coppa Italia holders Juventus continue the defence of their crown on Thursday night as they play host to Sassuolo in the quarter-finals of this season’s competition.
The Neroverdi edged past Cagliari 1-0 to set up Thursday’s clash as Juve breezed past Sampdoria 4-1 in what was one of their most impressive performances of the campaign so far. The Bianconeri have since been bolstered by the arrivals of Dusan Vlahovic and Denis Zakaria, both of whom scored on their debuts at the weekend in a 2-0 win over Hellas Verona.
For many, Sunday’s victory in Turin beckoned the beginning of a new era at Juventus.
⏱ 𝟭𝟯 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗦!!!
— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) February 7, 2022
All it took for #DV7 to get off the mark! 🔥⚽️#JuveVerona #ForzaJuve
On the contrary, Sassuolo returned to action last weekend in dismal fashion. Alessio Dionisi’s Neroverdi were thumped 4-0 on the road by Serie A strugglers Sampdoria. Sass have been an unpredictable proposition this term, and they tend to save their best stuff for superior opposition as Juve discovered in their first meeting of the season back in October.
A last-gasp Maxime Lopez strike handed Sassuolo a memorable victory at the Allianz Stadium and that triumph will undoubtedly give Dionisi’s men confidence of pulling off the upset on Thursday.
Here’s our preview of the Coppa Italia quarter-final clash between Juventus and Sassuolo.
How to Watch Juventus vs Sassuolo
When is kick-off? Thursday 10 February
What time is kick-off? 20:00 (BST)
Where is it played? Allianz Stadium
TV channel/live stream? Premier Sports 2 (UK), Paramount+ (UK)
Juventus Team News
Giorgio Chiellini will miss Thursday’s Coppa Italia clash after re-injuring his calf in Sunday’s victory over Hellas Verona. The extent of the injury is not yet known, but he’s already been ruled out for the upcoming bout.
Denis Zakaria was also forced off at the weekend after taking a hit to the lower back, but his injury isn’t thought to be serious and he should be in contention for Thursday’s game. Manuel Locatelli, meanwhile, will return to the XI after serving his one-game suspension.
Federico Chiesa is a long-term absentee, while Federico Bernardeschi and Alex Sandro are both doubts.
Sassuolo Team News
Dionisi doesn’t have too many concerns on the injury front for this one and the Sassuolo boss is expected to name a strong starting XI. However, he will be without Pedro Obiang (heart) and Filip Djuricic (hamstring).
Rogerio should return to the XI after he missed the weekend’s defeat at Sampdoria due to suspension.
Future Azzurri stars Davide Frattesi, Giacomo Raspadori and Gianluca Scamacca are all expected to start for the visitors.
Juventus vs Sassuolo Predicted Lineups
Juventus: Perin; Danilo, De Ligt, Bonucci, Pellegrini; Arthur, Locatelli, McKennie; Cuadrado, Vlahovic, Morata.
Sassuolo: Consigli; Toljan, Chiriches, Ferrari, Rogerio; Frattesi, Lopez, Traore; Berardi, Scamacca; Raspadori.
Juventus’ Recent Form
Juventus 2-0 Hellas Verona (06/02) – Serie A
AC Milan 0-0 Juventus (23/01) – Serie A
Juventus 4-1 Sampdoria (18/01) – Coppa Italia
Juventus 2-0 Udinese (15/01) – Serie A
Inter Milan 2-1 (AET) Juventus (12/01) – Supercoppa Italiana
Sassuolo’s Recent Form
Sampdoria 4-0 Sassuolo (06/02) – Serie A
Torino 1-1 Sassuolo (23/01) – Serie A
Sassuolo 1-0 Cagliari (19/01) – Coppa Italia
Sassuolo 2-4 Hellas Verona (16/01) – Serie A
Empoli 1-5 Sassuolo (09/01) – Serie A
Prediction
Sassuolo stunned the Bianconeri back in October and while the Neroverdi shouldn’t be underestimated, I can’t envisage lightning striking twice on Thursday.
The visitors are a technically secure side with a coherent possession structure, but they’ve conceded more than they’ve scored in Serie A this season. The Neroverdi are porous defensively, and Juventus will certainly have joy in transition on Thursday with Sassuolo wanting to dominate possession.
I think this will be a vintage Allegri victory: Juve will sit off and hit the visitors on the counter in a comfortable triumph.
Prediction: Juventus 3-1 Sassuolo