SASSUOLO

League position: 13th
Head coach: Alessio Dionisi
Serie A top scorer: Davide Frattesi (four)

RECENT FORM

SASSUOLO: L L W L L
ROMA: L W W W L

Dionisi’s team have been on the slide in recent weeks, winning just one of their last five matches and losing each of the remaining four in Serie A.

Their most recent losses have come away to both Napoli and Empoli, with goals the problem for Sassuolo who are missing talisman Domenico Berardi but have seen Hamed Traore return from injury.

The Giallorossi also shuffled in the wrong direction at the weekend after defeat to their city rivals in the Derby della Capitale, with injuries still depriving Jose Mourinho of a number of key players.

Captain Lorenzo Pellegrini was the latest to pick up a knock but Paulo Dybala is nearing a return to fitness and could feature in some capacity, while Mourinho will likely freshen up his side during a run that will see Roma play six times in 18 days before the winter break.

Possible Sassuolo line-up

(4-3-3)

Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Ferrari, Rogerio; Frattesi, Lopez, Thorstvedt; Lauriente, Pinamonti, Traore

LAST MEETING

DANGER MAN
Davide Frattesi

Both a former Lazio and Roma academy player, Rome-native Frattesi will have surely had an eye on Sunday’s derby.

The now 23-year-old midfielder made three senior matchday squads during his time with the Giallorossi but without ever making his debut for the club before departing for Sassuolo in 2017.

After a trio of loan moves, he made his Serie A breakthrough last term and has gone on to become a four-time Italy international.

This term, Frattesi has provided Sassuolo’s greatest goal threat and he’ll be desperate to show his former employers what he can do.

MATCH STATS

Roma’s away form has been exceptional so far this term and - after winning each of their last four on their travels - Mourinho’s men are looking for a fifth straight away win in the top-flight for the first time since the league’s 2017-18 edition.

In fact, only table toppers Napoli (19) have collected more away points than Roma (16) this term and their travelling form extends beyond domestic competitions - they’ve won six out of 10 on the road in all competitions this season (W6, D2, L2).

The 2-2 draw when these two last met at the Reggio Emilia means Sassuolo are unbeaten in their last four at home to Roma but they’ve won just once in that time (W1, D3) and, prior to that, the Giallorossi had won five on the spin.

Sassuolo have failed to find the back of the net in each of their previous two Serie A games and are at risk of drawing three such successive blanks for the first time since February 2018.

PLAYER STATS

• Pellegrini represented Sassuolo 54 times during a two year stay at the club from 2015-17.
  
• Andrea Belotti - yet to score in the league for Roma - has struck nine times in 13 previous top-flight meetings with Sassuolo.
  
• Andrea Pinamonti has scored three Serie A goals against Roma - making them the most productive opposition of his top-flight career.
  
• Frattesi has scored three goals in six home matches this season.

WHAT THEY SAID

"The performance didn't convince me, in the first half we were light and superficial but we had to do more. I'm not happy... and in the next round Roma, one of the strongest teams in the leagu, is waiting for us."

- Dionisi after the loss at Empoli last time out