Sassuolo come into this game in trouble in Serie A, but they claimed a huge point away to Napoli on Monday night. Their late goal at the San Paolo gave them an unexpected draw, which lifted them a little bit further from relegation danger. They have to build on that result, starting with this huge battle towards the bottom on Sunday afternoon. Three points against the team directly below them would be huge for the Neroverdi.
This game will be a huge examination of Sassuolo’s problems. Are they really contenders for the drop, or are they just in a bad spell of form? Their experiences last season, where they built on a good run to finish sixth, show how important form is in this division. Unless they can arrest their slide at home to a fellow struggler, you’d have to say that the Neroverdi are in massive trouble. They’ll be hoping that their Europa League elimination will help them improve in the second half of the campaign.
They host an Empoli side who had a big victory on the road last time out. Their 4-0 win at Pescara took them out of the bottom three, and it ended a goalless run in the most impressive fashion. Since then, they’ve managed to stay outside of the relegation zone, but they haven’t put any more distance between them and the drop. Since that big win, they’ve followed it up by conceding four goals in each of their last two matches.
Empoli do have a good chance of improving their poor scoring ratio this weekend, as Sassuolo have already conceded 26 times in Serie A. The Neroverdi have taken nine points in their six home games so far, so the visitors have to see this as an opportunity to put a few extra points on the board. While the away side aren’t the most clinical going forward, they take on a team who have kept clean sheets in just 21% of their league games.
Sassuolo head into this game having conceded in eight straight league matches, and this could be their ninth. Empoli have to push forward, just as they did at Pescara. It could end up costing them, but they can’t afford to sit back or they risk slipping back into the bottom three.
The visitors can’t simply rely on them to sneak a narrow win, as their defence is just too open. They’ve already conceded 21 goals, while Sassuolo have averaged a goal per game this season. They’re likely to add to that by scoring here. Seeing as seven of the last eight Sassuolo games have seen both teams score, we can see goals in this game. Neither of these defences seem reliable, which should see these two attacks come out on top. BTTS in this one is priced at 19/20 with bet365, which seems like great value given the Neroverdi’s record.
Head To Head
Sassuolo have recorded back to back home wins against Empoli. The last four meetings between these two here have seen both teams find the net.
Sassuolo vs Empoli Stats
Sassuolo's last three games at home have all seen over 2.5 goals score. Empoli have managed just one victory in their last 11 away leagues games.
Sassuolo Team News
Key forward Domenico Berardi remains out for Sassuolo, he's missed a large chunk of the season so far. Alfred Duncan, Matteo Politano and Davide Biondini join him on the sidelines.
Empoli Team News
Vincenti Laurini and Frederic Veseli are both missing in defence for Empoli.
