Preview and Prediction
Genoa’s campaign for staying in the first tier is still ongoing. They are still stranded on the 17th of the table with four points adrift of Lecce, their closest contender for permanence. No wonder they will be striving for three points in the last two games this week. Such is enough to keep them in the top flight next season. Yet, it will be quite intriguing as this weekend they will have to take on Sassuolo, one of the Serie A dark horses this season which managed to win over Lazio and force Juventus to go home with only one point at their home turf. Despite their slim chance to qualify to the continental competition, Domenico Berardi and Co remains dangerous.
The teams’ previous matches
Sassuolo was unlucky while visiting San Paolo. They were beaten 0-2 but had at least three goals disallowed in this game due to the offside. Elseij Hysaj and Allan scored the host’s winning goals.
Genoa even had worse result. They were hapless while hosting Inter Milan and lost 0-3. Romelu Lukaku’s brace and Alexis Sanchez’s goal were the ones which made the difference on the score sheet.
Possible tactic
Roberto De Zerbi, opts for 4-2-3-1 formation. He counts on the thirty-two-year old Francesco Caputo supported by Domenico Berardi. Yet, his starting IX would be incomplete as the former Napoli man, Vlad Chiriches is sidelined due to his injury along with Gregorie Defrel, Pedro Obiang, Fillipo Romagna and recently Jeremie Boga. Filip Djuricic is the best option to cover the Ivorian’s absence.
Meanwhile, Davide Nicola tends to be in favour of 3-4-1-2 formation with the transition to 4-4-2. Goran Pandev seems to be the most reliable option for scoring alongside the youngster Andrea Pinamonti. In the midfield, Lasse Schone and Valon Behrami are the ideal ones for keeping the balance for defense and attack. Unfortunately, some key players will be sitting out due to their injury, including Stefano Sturaro and the Paraguayan international Antonio Sanabria.
Players to watch
Sassuolo’s top performers are their top scorer Francesco Caputo who has contributed nineteen goals and seven assists, Domenico Berardi with his thirteen goals and seven assists plus the former Dortmund man, Jeremy Toljan. Another notable key man to watch is Manuel Locatelli.
Genoa, on the other hand, has been counting on the senior players more. The former Inter and Lazio man, Goran Pandev is one of them. Some other key men in the squad are the former Juventus man, Domenico Criscito, Ajax’s captain last year, Lasse Schone and the Colombian Cristian Zapata.
Sassuolo vs Genoa Prediction
It is quite hard to expect Davide Nicola’s men to snatch a win on the road here as Sassuolo’s form, apart from their defeat previously, has been more convincing, especially at home. The host’ objective now is simply to finish as high as possible in the standings. Thus, a narrow win for the home side is more likely than a draw.
Betting odds
According to the punters, Sassuolo is in the win market at 11/8 whereas Lassa Schone and Co are priced to win at 2/1. The odds for a draw result are only at 44/17.
