Match Pack: Roma Women ready for Sassuolo showdown

The game at the Stadio Ricci gets underway at 14:30, with both sides knowing that a victory will greatly enhance their hopes of a top-two finish this season.

With that, of course, would come Champions League qualification - a notable achievement for both sets of players.

With Sassuolo currently three points behind their opponents, their need to come away with maximum points is undoubtedly more pressing - although AC Milan would remain a threat regardless.

Here's how the sides are shaping up heading into the match.

Form Guide

Roma come into this one having drawn each of their last two league matches: successive 1-1 results against Juventus and AC Milan that did little to harm (or help) their aspirations at the top end of the table.

Sassuolo, however, have not capitalised in that same span - losing 3-1 to relegation-threatened Lazio and drawing 1-1 with Empoli.

General Statistics

This game will be Roma's 100th competitive match in all competitions. Funnily enough their first-ever game was also an away game against Sassuolo, on their season debut back in 2018-19.

Sassuolo won on that occasion, although since then the record in Reggio Emilia is very balanced: a win apiece and a draw among their three meetings (the last of them being a 1-1 draw in August 2020).

Roma have scored in 11 straight league games - they have never managed a 12-game streak.

The Giallorosse have only lost one of their last 11 away games in Serie A (six wins, four draws). That defeat came against Inter Milan last October.

Roma have had more shots on goal (326) than any other side so far this season, with 138 of those coming from outside the area (34 more than any other side).

While Sassuolo have led in games for more minutes than any other side this season (714 in total), Roma are actually the side who have been behind for the shortest amount of time (just 139 minutes).

Focus on the Opposition

Sassuolo have lost five of their last six meetings with Roma in Serie A, with that first-ever meeting their only victory.

The Neroverde have only lost more top-flight games against Juventus (eight) and Fiorentina (six) than Roma, although they have played one season more against those two squads - having been founded a year prior to the Giallorosse.

Saturday's game will be Sassuolo's 100th Serie A match - over that period only Juventus (291) and Fiorentina (227) have scored more goals than their 172. Victory in the game would also be their 50th in that span.

Sassuolo have scored 19 goals between the 30th and 60th minutes of games this season - more than any other side.

Kamila Dubcova (7 goals, 6 assists), Sofia Cantore (8 goals, 5 assists) and Lana Clelland (10 goals, 3 assists) have all been involved in 13 goals this term - no other player in the league can claim a better tally than that.

The three players who have created the most chances on goal this season in Serie A could all feature in this game: Andressa Alves (46), Manuela Giugliano (38) and Kamila Dubcova (36).

Roma Spotlight

Sassuolo could become the first side Benedetta Glionna has scored against for three different clubs - having already found the back of the net against them for both Juventus (December 2018) and Empoli (May 2021).

Andressa Alves has already scored four goals in Serie A this season - approaching her personal best (five in 2019-20).

Elena Linari has scored two Serie A goals against Sassuolo in her career - both of them coming while she was playing for Fiorentina. Only against RES Roma (three) has she scored more.

Familiar Faces

Tecla Pettenuzzo made 22 appearances for Sassuolo during the 2018-19 campaign before joining Roma.

Valeria Pirone scored 10 goals for Sassuolo last season, and scored two goals against her old club in the 2-0 meeting between the two sides earlier this season.

Arbitro

Sarà Stefano Nicolini della sezione di Brescia a dirigere la sfida tra Roma e Sassuolo.
Sono tre i precedenti del direttore di gara con le giallorosse in cui non si registra nessuna vittoria.

Ecco le partite nello specifico:

2018-19 – Serie A – Verona-Roma 1-0

2018-19 – Coppa Italia – Roma-Fiorentina 1-1

2020-21 – Serie A – Napoli-Roma 2-2