Gameweek 30 in Serie A pits relegation-threatened Sassuolo against 14th-placed Udinese at the Mapei Stadium on Monday.
The second-bottom hosts have had the international break to hopefully regroup after suffering their 18th loss before the hiatus, while the club from Udine could not extend their unbeaten run to three as they were beaten at home by Torino.
Match preview
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An important win over third-bottom Frosinone was a satisfying relegation six-pointer success for the 19th-placed men, but it did not prove to be the fillip the Neroverdi hoped for, with defeat at the hands of in-form Roma the next week resulting in another loss for Davide Ballardini's men.
The Emilia-Romagna team have secured four points from their last 10 matches, pointing to relegation form for the club with only two Serie A wins in 2024 — the other victory came in a 1-0 triumph over Fiorentina on January 6.
Their inability to score consistently has been their undoing in 2024, with Sassuolo firing blanks in five of the last 10 league rounds since beating the Viola at the start of 2024.
That run and a below-par return against this weekend's opponent is a portend for their imminent fixture, underscored by the 11-game winless sequence against the Udine-based side, losing five and playing out six draws.
It remains to be seen if Ballardini's men end that pitiful run, but possible success in front of their supporters could take Sassuolo outside the bottom three if results elsewhere go their way — Frosinone are two points ahead after Saturday's 1-1 draw at Genoa, Empoli travel to Inter and Hellas Verona battle Cagliari in a pivotal game that could land a blow in the survival race.
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Udinese, for their part, go into gameweek 30 keen to extend their longest unbeaten Serie A run against any opponent by avoiding defeat on Monday.
Unlike their hosts, the Little Zebras have done just enough to stay away from relegation trouble, evident by avoiding a losing run lasting over two games and escaping sliding into the bottom three since round nine.
A 2-0 pre-international break reverse against Torino ended a two-match undefeated run (four points) for the 14th-placed side, who hope to extend their unbeaten streak against Sassuolo to 12 to prevent being sucked back into the survival tussle.
Four points separating this weekend's opponents mean the gap could be cut to one if Gabriele Cioffi's team are beaten in Reggio Emilia on April 1.
Having won two of their last three road games — beating Juventus 1-0 and claiming a 2-1 success at Lazio, prompting Maurizio Sarri's resignation — the away side should relish the possibility of another triumph on their travels.
Team News
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Martin Erlic is suspended after picking his fifth yellow of the season in the previous round against Roma at the Olimpico.
Domenico Berardi is out with a season-ending knee injury in Sassuolo's only reported injury issue against the visitors.
Udinese are Andrea Pinamonti's second-favourite opponents (three goals) after Roma (five), and the Italy international hopes to notch his fourth against the Little Zebras on April 1.
The away side have no missing players through suspension, but Lautaro Giannetti is one booking away from a ban.
Lorenzo Lucca (thigh), Enzo Ebosse (knee) and Gerard Deulofeu (knee) are not expected to play any part on Monday.
Florian Thauvin's ball-carrying poses a threat to the home side, and his recent assists against Salernitana and Lazio mean the Frenchman possesses the end product to hurt the Neroverdi.
Sassuolo possible starting lineup:
Consigli; Pedersen, Ruan, Ferrari, Viti; Racic, Obiang, Henrique; Defrel, Pinamonti, Lauriente
Udinese possible starting lineup:
Okoye; Ferreira, Bijol, Giannetti; Pereyra, Lovric, Zarraga, Payero, Kamara; Thauvin, Success
We say: Sassuolo 1-2 Udinese
Games between these clubs often produce goals, and Monday's match should be no different. Having seemed to nick results on their travels of late, the Udine-based side could eke out a narrow victory against second-bottom Sassuolo in Reggio Emilia.
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