Sassuolo vs Genoa prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-12-21 17:30.
Sassuolo needed a pair of penalties to draw 2-2 against ten-man Udinese last weekend, albeit extending their winless run to three matches (D1, L2). Alessio Dionisi’s side will remain above the bottom three at the end of this round of fixtures irrespective of the result against Genoa, but will spend Christmas nervously looking over their shoulder as they currently sit four points above the Serie A (SA) drop zone.
With just one league victory since the start of October (D4, L5), the Neroverdi aren’t showing signs of suitably addressing those concerns. And with a defence (GA30) that is the second-worst in the league, the hosts aren’t doing justice to an offensive unit (GF24) which is the joint-seventh best. Those rearguard concerns could come back to haunt them as Sassuolo attempt to halt a five-game winless SA sequence at Mapei Stadium (D2, L3), where they are the only team in Italy’s top flight without a clean sheet this season apart from bottom-side Salernitana.
Genoa have the same number of points as their hosts and an identical league record (W4, D4, L8). A 1-1 draw with Juventus last Friday was a morale booster, although it extended their winless streak in all competitions (D2, L3). Alberto Gilardino’s men end the calendar year with a match against leaders Inter Milan, and a loss here could make them anxious about getting dragged into the bottom three heading into 2024.
Recent history against Sassuolo isn’t uplifting either, as the visitors haven’t won a H2H encounter since January 2020 (D2, L3). They will do well to secure even a draw after being defeated in seven of their last eight competitive away outings (D1), including five in a row, although six of those seven losses have come via a single-goal margin.
Players to watch: Domenico Berardi has contributed to five goals (G4, A1) in his last three league matches and has been a strong reason for Sassuolo’s five-game unbeaten SA H2H record (G3, A4). Albert Guðmundsson could be throwing him a challenge to respond from the Genoa camp, having made it 1-0 in three of his last five league scoring appearances.
Hot stat: Genoa have conceded eight of their last 17 league goals beyond the 80th minute.