With seven games left in the 2014/15 season, there wont be a lot to play for when Hellas Verona host Sassuolo at the Stadio Bentegodi in Serie A on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams will be aiming to squeeze every last point out of mediocre seasons which currently sees them level on points in the league table with the Gialloblu in 14th place and the Neroverdi in 12th.
The sides are also level on goals scored for the season with 37 and at thirteen points above the relegation zone it looks unlikely they’ll be dragged into a scrap for safety.
The similarities don’t end there and probably the least flattering of these statistics is that both teams went on win-less runs of eight games at different stages of the season.
Andrea Mandorlini has much to thank veteran striker Luca Toni for this season as without his impressive haul of 15 goals the Mastini could have been in a lot more trouble.
The goalscoring burden is a little more shared at Sassuolo on the other hand and Domenico Berardi, Simone Zaza and Nicola Sansone have contributed 24 goals between them.
In addition to these two sides’ form being strikingly similar this season, there is also nothing to choose between them based on past meetings.
From eleven previous games there has been one draw and both sides have picked up five victories.
Going into Sunday’s game Mandorlini will be without the injured Artur Ionita and Rafael Marquez but has no suspensions to worry about.
Sassuolo coach Eusebio Di Francesco has no suspensions either but does have a much longer injury list which includes Francesco Magnanelli, Anastasios Donis, Sime Vrsaljko and Emanuele Terranova.
Form Guide: Verona (D-W-L-D-L-W) Sassuolo (L-W-L-W-L-D)
Expected Starting XIs
Verona: Benussi; E. Pisano, Moras, Marquez, Sala; Greco, Tachtsidis, Obbadi; Jankovic, Toni, J. Gomez
Sassuolo: Consigli; Peluso, Cannavaro, Acerbi; Longhi, Missiroli, Taider, Lazarevic; Sansone, Zaza, Berardi
