Sassuolo vs Verona prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-08-31 16:30.
Sassuolo’s miserable start to the season continued as they were reduced to ten men in a 2-0 defeat against reigning champions Napoli, meaning they’ve opened a Serie A (SA) campaign with back-to-back losses for the first time in a decade. The Neroverdi are now winless in eight league games (D2, L6), and persistent transfer rumours around talisman Domenico Berardi certainly aren’t helping.
Coach Alessio Dionisi made light of his absence against Napoli though, indicating “he wasn’t called up because we wanted him in top form ahead of the next match.” Dionisi will want him firing on all cylinders here then as Sassuolo aim to arrest a three-match SA losing streak at the Mapei Stadium – they’ve not suffered four home league defeats in succession since April 2017.
Hellas Verona are breaking records in a far more positive sense in the early weeks of the season, as wins over Empoli and Roma saw them start a top-flight campaign with consecutive victories for just the third time. And if you’re a fan of omens, the only previous time they did so without the aid of an awarded result, they went on to win the title back in 1984/85!
The Mastiffs sit alongside AC Milan, Napoli and Inter as the only sides with 100% records so far, but boss Marco Baroni isn’t getting carried away, insisting “there is a lot to be improved, there's a long road ahead of us". Something he’ll be keen to improve upon from last season’s relegation scrap is Verona’s away form, as their points tally on the road (10) was the second-lowest division.
Players to watch: Andrea Pinamonti will be looking to open his SA account for the season, with three of his last four Sassuolo goals arriving on or beyond the 75th minute. Cyril Ngonge is proving Verona’s danger man at present after hitting the decisive strike against Roma and he assisted in a 2-1 win the last time these sides met.
Hot stat: Across the last 15 SA H2Hs, ten have been decided by a one-goal margin.