Sassuolo - Napoli predictions and free betting tips [28/02/2024]

On Wednesday, 28th February, as part of the 21st round of Italian Serie A, Sassuolo will host Napoli on their home field. Whilst the hosts are fighting for survival and occupy only the 17th position in the league table, the Neapolitans are nestled at the 9th spot and urgently need points to make it to the European competition zone.

Predictive Line-ups

Sassuolo: Consigli; Toljan, Tressoldi, Ferrari, Doig; Henrique, Boloca; Castillejo, Thorstvedt, Lauriente; Pinamonti.
Napoli: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia.

Stadium

The clash is set to take place in Reggio Emilia at the Mapei Stadium – Citta del Tricolore.

Sassuolo

This season, Sassuolo finds itself in serious jeopardy: currently, the team holds the 17th place in the Serie A standings with a game in hand and an equal number of points as Verona, ranking below them. In recent weeks, the Neroverdi have shown unsatisfactory results, winning only one in the last 12 matches, drawing twice, and conceding nine times.

A draw against Torino (1:1) marked the beginning of a series of defeats: first, Sassuolo surrendered to Atalanta (3:0), and last weekend they lost to Empoli (2:3), a direct contender for survival. This result became the final nail in the coffin for Alessio Dionisi, who was sacked from Sassuolo after two and a half years as a head coach. 

Napoli

The reigning Italian champions are also in a less than desirable state for the ongoing campaign. Having bowed out of the race for the strong four, the Partenopei currently hold only 9th place in the overall Serie A standings, trailing the six by four points. Two coaching resignations have occurred in the team this season: after a draw with Genoa (1:1), Walter Mazzarri was sacked, having replaced Rudi Garcia on this path.

Under the guidance of Slovak Francesco Calzona, the Southerners first drew with Barcelona in the first match of the 1/8 final of the Champions League (1:1), and then last weekend they played a 1:1 draw with sinking Cagliari: Victor Osimhen's goal on the 65th minute was set aside by Zito Luvumbo's accurate shot in the 96th minute. Nevertheless, the light blues perform quite well away from home: they have secured 19 points in 13 outings (fourth-best in the division), scored 17 goals, and conceded 13.

Head-to-Head Records

The visitors have won all four of the last encounters with Sassuolo with an aggregate score of 14:1, including a home victory (2:0) in the first round.

Match Forecast for Sassuolo vs Napoli

Both teams are not in the best of shapes and may view the midweek clash as a golden opportunity to take three valuable points. However, Napoli are expected to be the favourites to win, considering the current state of the Neroverdi: the hosts have not won in the last five matches with four losses. The return of Osimhen should boost the Partenopei, hence my bet is a victory for the light blues.

Total Forecast

Sassuolo concedes an average of two goals per match, whereas Napoli hasn't scored more than one goal in a game since the beginning of February. This trend is bound to break, so my bet is on an individual total for the favourite over 1.5 goals.

Corner Forecast

Both sides harbour an exceedingly attacking style of football and make heavy use of the flanks in developing attacks. Confidently placing a probe bet on the total corner over 9.5.

Yellow Cards Forecast

Neither team is known for excessive roughness on the field (only one yellow card was shown in the first round), so my bet is on total warnings under 3.5.

Score Forecast

My prediction for the exact score is a 1:3 win in favour of Napoli.