Sports Mole previews Sunday's Serie A clash between Sassuolo and Lazio, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Pointless Sassuolo aim to be third-time lucky this weekend when they welcome Lazio to Mapei Stadium in round three of Sunday's Serie A action.
The Neroverdi, however, must break their two-match losing streak against the capital club, whose last two visits to Emilia-Romagna have resulted in 2-0 wins, as they seek a third consecutive victory in Reggio Emilia.
Match preview
Fabio Grosso has not had the best start in top-flight football in Emilia-Romagna, with his Sassuolo side suffering back-to-back league defeats at the start of the 2025-26 season.
Last season's Serie B champions faced a tough opening fixture against defending champions Napoli, losing 2-0, while their 3-2 defeat by Cremonese before the international break was particularly painful given the circumstances.
The Neroverdi were trailing by two goals but fought back with second-half goals from Andrea Pinamonti and Domenico Berardi in the 64th and 73rd minutes; however, a late penalty awarded in the 93rd minute resulted in Sassuolo suffering consecutive losses.
As a result, the Neroverdi go into Sunday's fixture as the only team in Serie A yet to earn a point after two matches, a situation they are eager to change this weekend.
Nevertheless, a poor record in this fixture threatens to undermine those hopes, especially considering that the Black and Greens have lost four and drawn one of their previous five meetings, including the last two in Reggio Emilia.
Lazio enter the third round knowing full well that they are the only side not named Napoli to have beaten this weekend's opponents more than any other side in Serie A since 2022.
The Biancocelesti, who have won one of their two games in the top flight this season under the returning Maurizio Sarri, responded to a gameweek one loss at Como with a 4-0 victory over Hellas Verona before the international break.
Sarri's team dominated that fixture and probably should have scored more, emphasising the one-sided nature of the victory, and they now aim for two wins in a row this weekend.
Results since a pair of defeats to the Emilia-Romagna outfit in 2021 have favoured the Biancocelesti, with the capital club scoring nine goals to Sassuolo's two.
The second of those Sassuolo goals came in the final gameweek of the 2023-24 season, in which the Neroverdi faced relegation.
Knowing that their hosts have not started the campaign well, Gli Aquilotti should back themselves for the win on Sunday.
Sassuolo Serie A form:
L
L
Sassuolo form (all competitions):
W
L
L
Lazio Serie A form:
L
W
Team News
Kristian Thorstvedt is uncertain for Sassuolo this weekend, while Laurs Skjellerup is unlikely to be available for selection.
Josh Doig and Pinamonti lead in creating chances for the hosts, and both are looking to add to the opportunities they supply.
Lazio have several injury doubts, with Samuel Gigot, Patric, Nicolo Rovella and Matias Vecino to be assessed; however, Manuel Lazzari is expected to be out until the end of September.
Although the Biancocelesti had four different goalscorers against Verona -- Matteo Guendouzi, Mattia Zaccagni, Valentin Castellanos and Boulaye Dia -- Castellanos provided two assists, emphasising his creative contributions.
Sassuolo possible starting lineup:
Muric; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Muharemoviic, Doig; Kone, Matic, Vranckx; Berardi, Pinamonti, Lauriente
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Provedel; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Tavares; Guendouzi, Rovella, Dele-Bashiru; Cancellieri, Castellanos, Zaccagni
We say: Sassuolo 1-1 Lazio
Sassuolo have never been beaten in three consecutive home games by Lazio in Serie A, and that trend is expected to continue this weekend as both teams share the points in Reggio Emilia.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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