Monza’s first season in Serie A has been a roaring success. The Biancorossi are ninth in the Serie A table with 49 points from 35 games.
On Friday night, Monza can take a step into the top eight with a win or draw against Sassuolo at the MAPEI Stadium.
The Biancorossi are unbeaten in six straight games and coach Raffaele Palladino will aim for a seventh straight match without defeat.
Sassuolo are 13th in the Serie A standings ahead of the Friday night fixture. The Neroverdi go into the game on a three-game winless streak in Serie A.
Sassuolo have done enough to achieve Serie A safety for next term. The team has been inconsistent for much of the campaign, however.
Monza pulled off a 1-1 draw with Sassuolo in the reverse fixture in January. Sassuolo player Gian Marco Ferrari scored the opener in the 13th minute.
Monza battled back and found an equaliser on 60 minutes thanks to a goal from Gianluca Caprari.
Despite being the newer team to Serie A, Monza dominated possession in the first match between the clubs, with 61.5%.
Monza also had three shots on target compared to Sassuolo’s one.
Monza are in excellent form ahead of Friday night. The team took 14 points from the last 18 points available. It was the second-best points total in the current Serie A form table. The Biancorossi outscored their last six opponents 10-4.
Sassuolo, on the other hand, took seven points from the last 18 points available. They were outscored 11-5 in the last six games.The Neroverdi were beaten 4-2 by Inter last time out.
Palladino has no fresh injuries to worry about at Monza. The Biancorossi scored 44 goals in 35 matches this season.
The team is led by defender Carlos with five goals. Meanwhile, three different players (Caprari, Ciurria, Mota) have five goals each.
Sassuolo coach Alessio Dionisi will be without Armand Lauriente due to a knee injury. The midfielder isn’t expected back until the start of next season.
Domenico Berardi leads the Neroverdi in goals with nine in Serie A. He also leads the team in assists with seven.
Sassuolo scored 43 goals and conceded 54 in 35 league games.
The reverse fixture between Sassuolo and Monza ended 1-1 in January. This time around, the teams should finish level once more. There could be more goals, however.
Monza’s last five games saw at least 2.0 goals. Friday’s match should finish 2-2 with the teams sharing the points.