Sassuolo in Serie A’s Saturday evening game with both team suffering different starts to the season.
The Rossoblu will have targeted this game for maximum points, especially after away at Lazio on the opening day of the new Serie A campaign.
Sassuolo, meanwhile, got off to a flying start by coming from behind to beat Napoli and could top Serie A for the very first time (for a day, at least) if they avoid defeat.
The last Serie A game at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara saw the Rossoblu capitulate to the ten men of already relegated Catania at the end of the 2013/14 season. Sassuolo, busy beating Genoa at the same time, secured their safety at Bologna’s expense that day.
The two sides’ contrasting histories mean they have met just twice previously in Serie A competition. Those meetings came the season before last and saw a 0-0 draw in Emilia-Romagna in March, Sassuolo having won 2-1 at the Stadio Mapei earlier in the campaign.
Domenico Berardi scored the first goal in that game, but the wonderkid is set to miss the next month with injury and will be unavailable for coach Eusebio Di Francesco. The Neroverdi have won 22 games since they arrived in Serie A, in only one of them were they missing Berardi.
Meanwhile, Bologna’s defeat at Lazio saw Mattia Destro play only a cameo role for the last quarter of an hour. After Claudio Fenucci’s praise of the striker in the build-up to the game, he seems set to start.
With Matteo Mancosu having scored the only goal of the Rossoblu’s season to date, Destro would likely take the place of Robert Acquafresca. Acquafresca has not scored a Serie A goal since May 2012, some 1200 days ago, before Sassuolo had played in the top division.
Delio Rossi will welcome Ibrahima Mbaye back from suspension – the former Inter youngster quickly became an important part of the promotion winning side.
Franco Zuculini, Daniele Gastadello and Luca Rizzo, however, are all likely to sit out the match with injuries, while Emil Krafth is unlikely to make his debut for the same reason.
The Neroverdi were without Luca Antei for their win against Napoli, but only Berardi has been added to the injury list since, meaning Di Francesco has a relatively full squad from which to select his side.
Form Guide Bologna (L-L) Sassuolo (W-W)
Expected Starting XIs
Bologna: Mirante; Mbaye, Oikonomou, Rossetini, Masina; Donsah, Crisetig, Brighi; Brienza; Destro, Mancosu
Sassuolo: Consigli; Vrsaljko, Cannavaro, Acerbi, Peluso; Missiroli, Magnanelli, Duncan; Floro Flores, Defrel, Sansone.
