Juventus vs Sassuolo
2016/17 Italian Serie A.
Date: Saturday, 10 September 2016
Kick-Off: 17:00 UK,
Venue: Juventus Stadium (Turin).


With the international break concluded, Juventus will take on Sassuolo to kick off round three of the 2016/2017 Serie A season.

The Bianconeri come into this match having won their first two games against Fiorentina and Lazio. This is a drastic contrast to last season, which saw them fail to pick up any points versus Udinese and Roma. Still, despite their poor start, once Juventus roared to life, there was no stopping them. And as such, Massimiliano Allegri’s men will now hope to make it an unprecedented sixth straight Scudetto this May.

Interestingly, Juventus’s next opponent – Sassuolo – are the side that essentially jump-started La Vecchia Signora’s renaissance last term. Since making their Serie A debut in 2013, the Neroverdi have built a reputation as “giant-killers” and have earned scalps against all the bigger sides in the league. They also have managed to avoid the drop, an impressive feat considering their rookie status in Italian football’s upper echelon.

This season will see Eusebio Di Francesco’s side featuring in three competitions, including participating in the Europa League for the first time. So far, the plucky Neroverdi have managed to balance both international and domestic affairs, but it remains to be seen whether they will be able to successfully navigate through unchartered waters.

Juventus vs Sassuolo: Head-to-head statistics

  • Juve’s 1-0 defeat to Sassuolo back in October 2015 is so far the only time the Bianconeri have lost to the Neroverdi.
  • La Vecchia Signora have won four out of their past six meetings, with three shutouts
  • All three clean sheets in those wins were at Juventus Stadium
  • The last three matches between the Bianconeri and Sassuolo were decided by one goal

Juventus vs Sassuolo: Prediction

Juventus were far from their best against Lazio, but they got the job done. The arrival of Gonzalo Higuain plus other signings like Miralem Pjanic, Dani Alves, and Mehdi Benatia make an already formidable squad even more threatening. Furthermore, the Bianconeri are still a tough side to beat on home turf.

Still, as noted before, Sassuolo have proven to be a thorn in many team’s sides since arriving in Serie A. However, the Neroverdi have suffered two major setbacks. The first was seeing their win over Pescara converted to a 3-0 loss after allegedly fielding an ineligible player. The second is the loss of Domenico Berardi, who leads the team with two goals in the league and seven across all comps.

That being said, both of Juve’s wins this season have been by a one goal margin, whilst Sassuolo will be aggrieved after seeing their win taken away from them and will hunker down and defend. This will be a close match, but Juventus will just do enough to edge Sassuolo out 2-1.


Juventus vs Sassuolo: Betting tips

Juventus to win at 2/7 (1.29)
Over 2.5 goals at 21/20 (2.05).