Sassuolo will attempt to turn one of the results of the Serie A season into sustained momentum when they travel to the U-Power Stadium to face Monza on Friday evening.

Alberto Aquilani’s side arrive after a remarkable 3-2 victory over Juventus moved them onto seven points from four matches, while newly-promoted Monza are still searching for their first league win. Sassuolo’s poor away record and Monza’s excellent head-to-head record in this fixture do, however, provide reasons for the hosts to believe their difficult start can improve.

Analysis

Sassuolo must follow the spectacular with the professional

Beating Juventus is becoming less of a surprise for Sassuolo than it perhaps should be, but the manner of last weekend’s victory was extraordinary even by their standards.

Sebastiano Esposito marked his first start for the club by opening the scoring, only for Juventus to equalise. Substitute Kieron Bowie then restored Sassuolo’s advantage before another Juve response in stoppage time appeared to have rescued a point.

There was still time for one final twist. Vasilije Adzic, who is owned by Juventus, struck virtually at the death to secure a 3-2 victory against his parent club and give Aquilani arguably his biggest result since taking charge.

It also represented an important response to the previous week’s frustration against Bologna, when Sassuolo had been seconds away from victory before conceding a late equaliser.

Seven points from the first 12 available represents an excellent return, particularly for a team adapting to a new coach, and progress to the Coppa Italia last 16 has added to the positive atmosphere around Aquilani’s early work.

Friday presents a different test. There will be none of the natural intensity that accompanies a meeting with Juventus, and Sassuolo will instead be expected to take greater responsibility for controlling the match against opponents sitting near the bottom of the table.

Their away record suggests that should not be taken for granted. The Neroverdi haven’t won a league match on their travels since February, an eight-game sequence that Aquilani will want to end before it develops into a more significant psychological obstacle.

He must also contend with a substantial injury list. Fali Candé, Edoardo Pieragnolo and Ismaël Koné remain long-term absentees, with Daniel Boloca and Cristian Volpato also unavailable. Sebastian Walukiewicz is doubtful, while the loss of Jay Idzes to a quadriceps injury for approximately six weeks further reduces the options in defence.

There is more welcome competition at the other end. Esposito’s goal against Juventus strengthened his claim to continue at centre-forward, although Bowie’s impact from the bench gives Aquilani an alternative. Whoever starts should again have Domenico Berardi operating around him.

Berardi could be particularly important against promoted opposition. The Sassuolo captain has been directly involved in 19 goals across his last 21 league appearances against teams coming up from Serie B, and his experience should help ensure there is no emotional drop after last weekend’s drama.

Monza are already under pressure to stop the goals flowing

Monza’s return to Serie A has provided plenty of goals, but very little satisfaction. Ivan Juric’s team have taken only one point from their opening four fixtures, losing the other three, and their defensive problems were again evident in last weekend’s 3-2 defeat at Lecce.

Conceding twice inside the opening 12 minutes immediately left Monza with a substantial recovery job. They made the contest competitive, but another defeat leaves them hovering just above the relegation places.

Set pieces have become an especially damaging weakness. Monza have already conceded six league goals from dead-ball situations, with their problems defending corners particularly apparent against Lecce. Opponents will inevitably continue targeting that area until Juric finds a solution.

The broader numbers are equally concerning. Including the end of their previous spell in Serie A, Monza have won only one of their last 22 matches at this level.

Their only home league appearance of the new campaign also ended in a 3-2 defeat against Udinese, meaning they have already conceded six goals across just two of their four matches.

There is at least one historical trend firmly in Monza’s favour. They are unbeaten in all four previous Serie A meetings with Sassuolo, collecting 10 points from a possible 12.

Extending that record will require Juric to manage his own availability problems. Captain Matteo Pessina, Jan Ziolkowski and Idrissa Touré are unavailable, while Patrick Ciurria, Cyril Ngonge and Ricardo Mangas remain doubts.

Gustavo Varela’s return is therefore timely. He is the only Monza player to have scored more than once in the league this season and should feature in attack, with Patrick Cutrone and Dany Mota competing for the opportunity to play alongside him.

For Monza, the immediate priority is straightforward: become harder to score against. Their attacking output has at least given them opportunities to remain competitive, but repeatedly asking the forwards to compensate for defensive mistakes is unlikely to be sustainable.

Verdict

The danger for Sassuolo is assuming that victory over Juventus automatically makes this a simpler assignment. Their eight-match wait for an away league victory is significant, while Monza have never lost to them in Serie A. Those are two substantial warnings for Aquilani’s side.

Current form nevertheless points strongly towards the visitors. Sassuolo have already demonstrated greater cohesion under their new coach, while Berardi, Esposito and Bowie give them several ways of attacking a Monza defence that has looked particularly vulnerable from set pieces.

Monza have scored enough goals to suggest this may not be comfortable, but their defensive record makes it difficult to trust them to protect a lead or a level score for 90 minutes.

Our prediction: Monza 1-2 Sassuolo.

Tip

Our tip: Sassuolo to win.