Juventus return to Serie A action on Monday night as they visit the Mapei Stadium to take on Sassuolo.
The Bianconeri reached the Coppa Italia final in the week after they kept Vincenzo Italiano’s Fiorentina at bay in a 2-0 second leg win to progress as 3-0 aggregate victors.
Juve head into Monday’s encounter knowing that they can stretch their advantage over fifth-placed AS Roma to eight points after Jose Mourinho’s side were beaten 3-1 by Inter Milan on Saturday. Although, the Giallorossi will likely be usurped in the table by La Viola as they take on Salernitana on Sunday.
Max Allegri’s men somewhat avenged their last-gasp league defeat to the Neroverdi by knocking them out of the Coppa Italia in February. Sassuolo have been an unpredictable side this season; one capable of losing to the very worst and beating the best Italy has to offer. They were defeated by the relegation-threatened Cagliari last time out.
Sassuolo vs Juventus preview
Here’s our preview of Monday night’s game, where Juve target Giacomo Raspadori will have the chance to strut his stuff in front of his potential future employers.
How to watch Sassuolo vs Juventus
When is kick-off? Monday 25 April
What time is kick-off? 19:45 (BST)
Where is it played? Mapei Stadium
TV channel/live stream? BT Sport 1 (UK), Paramount+ (US)
Referee? Fabio Maresca
Sassuolo Team News
The home side could be without star man Domenico Berardi for this one. The winger, who’s contributed to a staggering 25 goals in Serie A this season, is an injury doubt after he sustained an ankle problem ahead of the Cagliari defeat.
Abdou Harroui is also a doubt, while Filippo Romagna and Pedro Obiang are both absent.
Davide Frattesi, who’s been linked with a move to Juventus, should start in midfield for the Neroverdi.
Juventus Team News
Saturday session at the JTC ahead of #SassuoloJuve 🏃♂️
— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) April 23, 2022
Max Allegri has no fresh injury concerns heading into this one. Arthur Melo is set to miss out once more, while Manuel Locatelli, Weston McKennie, Kaio Jorge and Federico Chiesa all remain sidelined.
Federico Bernardeschi could retain his place in the side following his impressive display against his former club. Although, Paulo Dybala should come back in as well meaning Alvaro Morata might miss out.
Sassuolo vs Juventus Predicted Lineups
Sassuolo: Consigli; Muldur, Chiriches, Ferrari, Kyriakopoulos; Lopez, Frattesi; Berardi, Raspadori, Traore; Scamacca
Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, De Ligt, Chiellini, Pellegrini; Cuadrado, Zakaria, Rabiot, Bernardeschi; Dybala, Vlahovic.
Sassuolo’s Recent Form
Cagliari 1-0 Sassuolo (16/04) – Serie A
Sassuolo 2-1 Atalanta (10/04) – Serie A
Lazio 2-1 Sassuolo (02/04) – Serie A
Sassuolo 4-1 Spezia (18/03) – Serie A
Salernitana 2-2 Sassuolo (12/03) – Serie A
Juventus’ Recent Form
Juventus 2-0 Fiorentina (20/04) – Coppa Italia
Juventus 1-1 Bologna (16/04) – Serie A
Cagliari 1-2 Juventus (09/04) – Serie A
Juventus 0-1 Inter Milan (03/04) – Serie A
Juventus 2-0 Salernitana (20/03) – Serie A
Prediction
Berardi’s projected return is a huge boost for the home side, who desperately missed him in Sardinia last week. The Italian international is the heartbeat of this talented but equally frustrating Sassuolo side.
Overall, this is a tough game for Juventus, who will once again attempt to control the opposition by blocking space in their passive 4-4-2 mid-block. Fortunately, though, the Neroverdi, for all their good work on the ball, struggle to defend transitions and Juve could have serious joy in this phase.
Thus, I’m backing the Bianconeri to snatch a pivotal three points and edge ever closer to a Champions League berth.
Prediction: Sassuolo 1-2 Juve