A triumphant 2-1 win away at 2nd placed AC Milan during the week made it three league wins on the trot for Sassuolo in Serie A and they’ll be eager to collect a fourth win on the trot when they entertain Sampdoria at their MAPEI Stadium as they look to keep their slim hopes of a possible top six finish alive.
Sassuolo have previously picked up wins against Benevento 1-0 away and a 3-1 home win over Fiorentina and together with the victory on the road at AC Milan, Sassuolo should be in confident mood ahead of this weekend’s action in the Italian top flight.
The hosts have also been a stubborn and difficult unit to beat on home turf at their MAPEI Stadium as Sassuolo have won 5, drawn 7 and lost just 3 so far this season in their own backyard and they bring a five-match unbeaten run at home into this upcoming encounter.
Forward Caputo and defender Romagna are unlikely to figure here with back and knee injuries respectively.
Sampdoria have registered recent back-to-back wins against Hellas Verona 3-1 at home and a narrow midweek 1-0 win away at Crotone which will have given the visitors a welcome boost ahead of this trip to Sassuolo on Saturday night.
These two victories have helped Sampdoria up into 9th place on the Serie A ladder but they trail Sassuolo by a seven-point margin and are extremely unlikely to figure in the race for a top six finish this season.
With a significant 16 points separating Sampdoria and 6th placed Lazio, Sampdoria are out of the picture in terms of the top six but they’ll be keen to at least achieve a top half finish in this campaign which would be a marked improvement upon last season’s disappointing 15th place finish.
Having managed to collect just one win out of their last six away from home, Sampdoria may well struggle against this solid Sassuolo Calcio outfit who’ll be riding on the crest of a wave after the AC Milan result.
They’ll be without forward Torregrossa who is suffering from a muscle injury and will miss this trip.
Sassuolo are unbeaten in their last three meetings against Sampdoria, winning two of these tussles, and the hosts may just hold the upper hand here on Saturday evening too.