Inter Milan head to Sassuolo on Sunday for Serie A’s early fixture. The Nerazzurri have not defeated Sassuolo in Serie A since December 2016 going five straight matches without a win against the Neroverdi.
Antonio Conte’s team is coming off of its first loss of the season, 2-1, to Juventus. The loss has Inter Milan in second place in Serie A as Juventus leap frogged them in the table. Now, Inter Milan are one point behind the Bianconeri going into gameweek 8.
Sassuolo Calcio are in terrible form going into the weekend. The Neroverdi are 15th in the Serie A table after losing two straight league matches. Manager Roberto De Zerbi has led Sassuolo to just two wins in six games.
The Neroverdi’s problem is not scoring goals (11 in seven matches) rather it is keeping them out of goal. Sassuolo have conceded the fourth-most goals in Serie A (12).
De Zerbi will be relieved that Sassuolo will host Sunday’s game. Sassuolo’s two wins this season have come at the Mapei Stadium.
They are +3 in goal difference at home having defeated Sampdoria and Spal by a combined score of 7-1. Sassuolo’s most recent home fixture did end in defeat as Atalanta won 4-1 at the Mapei Stadium.
Inter have won all three of their away fixtures this term. The Nerazzurri outscored their opponents 7-2 in their three road games.
Conte will be without on-loan Manchester United player Alexis Sanchez after the player had ankle surgery. The 30-year-old suffered a dislocated ankle and tendon damage while on international duty. He will now miss an extended period of football.
Inter Milan are eyeing up transfer targets for January to replace Sanchez with Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud being considered. If Giroud does arrive at the San Siro, he would be reunited with Conte, who coached the striker at Chelsea.
Sassuolo have two injury worries heading into the weekend. Vlad Chiriches and Rogerio could miss out on the match. Rogerio is expected back this month from his meniscus injury. Chiriches has be recovering from a thigh issue.
Inter Milan have not defeated Sassuolo in their last five tries. The Neroverdi have been a bogey team for Inter Milan in recent seasons collecting four wins and a draw.
The Nerazzurri should finally end their winless streak against Sassuolo on Sunday with a victory at the Mapei Stadium. The fixture should be close with a single goal separating the two teams. Inter Milan will get the win with over 2.5 goals scored and both teams finding the back of the net.