Sassuolo vs Juventus: A Trap Game for Depleted Juve
Juventus arrive in Emilia-Romagna bruised, stretched, and still unbeaten. Sassuolo welcome them with goals in their boots and a growing sense that this is exactly the sort of night when a heavyweight can be cut down to size.
Kick-off is set for 19:45 on 13 September 2026. On paper it’s sixth against tenth in Serie A. On the pitch it looks far more finely balanced.
Sassuolo’s belief growing under Aquilani
Alberto Aquilani has problems, but they’re the kind a coach can live with. His absentee list is long: Fali Candé, Ismael Koné, Edoardo Pieragnolo, Daniel Boloca, Yeferson Paz, Sebastian Walukiewicz, Cristian Volpato, and Darryl Bakola are all sidelined. No suspensions, no selection dramas. Just injuries to manage.
The structure, though, is clear.
Arijanet Muric is expected to start in goal behind a back four of Fedde Leysen, Jay Idzes, Josh Doig, and Simone Cinquegrano. Nemanja Matic, the metronome, should sit in midfield alongside Vasilije Adžić, giving Sassuolo a calm, experienced axis to build from.
Ahead of them, the danger sharpens. Kieron Bowie, Sebastiano Esposito, and Armand Laurienté are set to support the attack, a trio that brings direct running, movement between the lines, and enough unpredictability to trouble any defence.
The numbers back up the growing confidence. Across their last five games in all competitions, Sassuolo have scored eight and conceded six. They’ve beaten Torino 2-1 in their last home league outing, edged Cesena in the Coppa Italia, and battled to a 2-2 draw away at Bologna. Only Atalanta have beaten them in Serie A so far.
They’re not perfect. They’re dangerous.
Juventus patched up but still unbeaten
Luciano Spalletti, by contrast, walks into Reggio Emilia with a squad held together by tape and trust.
Manuel Locatelli, Khephren Thuram, Kenan Yildiz, Juan Cabal, Weston McKennie, Arkadiusz Milik, Jeremie Boga, and Jeff Ekhator are all unavailable. It’s a list that cuts into every line of the team: control in midfield, rotation in attack, legs out wide.
Even so, the projected XI remains imposing.
Guglielmo Vicario should start in goal, shielded by a defensive line of Jhon Lucumí, Gleison Bremer, Mehmet Zeki Çelik, and Pierre Kalulu. It’s a back four with pace, aggression, and enough experience to handle nights like this, but it will be tested by the variety in Sassuolo’s front line.
In midfield and attack, the talent is there, the balance still a work in progress. Teun Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz, Nico González, Kerim Alajbegovic, and Chico Conceição are all expected to operate behind Randal Kolo Muani, who leads the line. Senegalese midfielder Pape Matar Sarr is pushing to return and could offer extra cover in the middle if he’s passed fit.
Despite the absences, Juventus have yet to taste defeat in Serie A this season. They’ve beaten Frosinone and Parma away and drawn 1-1 with AC Milan, scoring four and conceding just two across those three league games. The only blemish on their recent record is a pre-season friendly loss to Inter.
The spine is wounded, not broken. Spalletti still has enough quality to dictate, if his side can withstand the waves that Sassuolo tend to generate at home.
Form, history, and a fixture that rarely goes quiet
The head-to-head numbers tell their own story: this is not a fixture Juventus can stroll through.
Their last meeting ended 1-1 at the Allianz Stadium in March 2026. Before that, Juventus cruised to a 3-0 win away at Sassuolo in January 2026. Across the last five Serie A clashes between the clubs, Juve have three wins, Sassuolo have two, and the two sides have combined for 11 goals.
When these teams meet, something usually happens.
Current form only sharpens that edge. Sassuolo have taken two wins, one draw, and one defeat from their last four competitive matches, plus that Coppa Italia victory over Cesena. Juventus have two wins and two draws from their last four, still searching for full fluency but already hard to beat.
In the table, Juventus sit sixth, Sassuolo tenth. It looks like a gap. It doesn’t feel like one.
A test of depth, nerve, and ambition
For Sassuolo, this is an opportunity to turn a promising start into a statement. They’ve shown they can score, they’ve shown they can live with stronger midfields, and they now face a giant running on a reduced squad.
For Juventus, it’s a different kind of exam. Can a patched-up group, already stretched early in the campaign, impose its will away from home against a team that loves these nights?
The season is young, but games like this have a habit of sticking around. Will this be remembered as the night Sassuolo punched up again, or the moment Juventus proved that even short-handed, they still know how to grind through Serie A’s most awkward trips?
