Sassuolo will host Torino on Friday, September 17, at Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore in the fourth round of Serie A. It will mark their first meeting since March, when Torino won 3-2 and first at Sassuolo’s home stadium since October 2020, when the match ended in a 3-3 draw.
Sassuolo vs Torino
When: Friday, September 17 – 20:45 CEST
Where: Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore in Reggio Emilia, Italy
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 25°C
Referee: Marco Piccinini (ITA)
After three rounds of the 2021-22 season of the Italian Serie A, Sassuolo have accumulated four points, while their next opponent, Torino, managed only three. That might not sound too impressive, but both teams had to face tough opponents in their season openers.
Sassuolo, for instance, lost to AS Roma in the previous round. Torino’s two defeats happened against Fiorentina and Atalanta. That said, both teams have plenty of quality, meaning that we should see much from them in the future. But, what about tonight’s game? Let’s see what to expect from it!
Domenico Berardi is Back
Sassuolo’s meeting with AS Roma last weekend marked Domenico Berardi’s first appearance for the Neroverdi of the season. His return proved to be quite a boost for his team, as he created one assist and plenty of goal opportunities. He even scored a goal but it was disallowed for offside.
Berardi played for 76 minutes last time out, but this time, he might stay on the pitch for the whole 90. Davide Frattesi and Maxime Lopez should feature in the match, as they no longer have any fitness concerns.
In fact, the only two players Sassuolo will be without against Torino are Filippo Romagna and Pedro Obiang. Nevertheless, even without them in the team, Sassuolo needs to be thought of as the favourites. It’s not just because Sassuolo is good, but also because Torino will miss several key men.
Andrea Belotti to Miss Second Straight Game
Andrea Belotti is probably the best player in Torino’s squad, evidence being that the guy played an essential role in Italy’s ascendance to the European trophy this summer. He also started the new Serie A campaign in top-gear, scoring a goal in Torino’s first game of the season against Atalanta.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as Torino ended up losing 1-2. The Bulls also lost against Fiorentina (1-2), in which Belotti played reasonably well. Then, before Torino’s third game of the season, their star striker got injured.
He missed the game with Salernitana, but his team destroyed the Serie A newcomers 4-0. The bad news for Torino is that they will face a much tougher opponent tonight, and without Belotti on the roster, their chances against Sassuolo do not look that great.
What’s more, Belotti isn’t the only Torino player who’s injured. Joining him on the sideline are Simone Verdi, Armando Izzo, and Simone Zaza. Antonio Sanabria is expected to lead the attack, while Ricardo Rodriguez, Bremer, and David Zima should play as the back three after their solid performance in the last round.
Sassuolo vs Torino Betting Pick
Torino won their last meeting with Sassuolo in March (3-2), albeit they were playing at home. The visitors are also 3-1-1 up in the head-to-head with the Neoverdi across their last five meetings, but none of those three wins happened at Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore, where Sassuolo haven’t lost to Torino once since 2014.
Sassuolo have proven to be difficult to defeat while playing at home. Adding to that, Torino will miss several key players, which definitely won’t help their chances to break a seven-game dry streak and claim their first three points at Mapei Stadium (0-6-1) in seven years.
Prediction: Sassuolo to win – 1.85 at Sportmarket
