A tight title race at the top and a crowded mid-table battle will collide on Tuesday evening in Reggio Emilia when Sassuolo host Juventus at the MAPEI Stadium Città del Tricolore on matchday 19 of Serie A. Fabio Grosso’s side are 10th in the table with 23 points, one point behind Lazio and level on points with Torino, while Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus are 4th with 33 points, four points behind Napoli and level on points with Roma in an increasingly tight race at the top. Sassuolo are coming off a 1-1 home draw against Parma, in which Thorstvedt scored before the equalizer, a performance that confirmed their mid-table position but did nothing to change the gap at the top. Berardi, Volpato, and several defenders are missing, while Laurienté is linked with a move to Napoli, so Grosso will likely prioritize stability and set pieces to compensate for a lack of individual inspiration. Juventus travel off the back of a frustrating 1-1 draw with Lecce, a game in which turnovers, a saved penalty, and a standout visiting goalkeeper left Spalletti’s side with regrets despite McKennie’s equalizer. That performance fell short of expectations for a title contender, and after the coach spoke of the urgency to satisfy the fans, the pressure is mounting to deliver even without Vlahović and Milik, although David, Yıldız, and Openda continue to pose a significant attacking threat. There has been little compromise in recent head-to-head encounters, with no draws in the last five meetings and Juventus leading three wins to two. The last meeting in January 2024 ended 3-0 to Juventus in Turin, after Sassuolo had previously celebrated two consecutive home wins, and the bookmakers now see the visitors as clear favorites.
- Venue: MAPEI Stadium – Città del Tricolore, Reggio Emilia
- Date and time: January 6, 2026, 8:45 p.m.
- Competition: Serie A (Matchday 19)
Although bookmakers rate Juventus as favorites at around 1.7, both an away win and Juventus winning in the second half still seem possible because Spalletti’s team, even after the 1-1 draw with Lecce, tends to gain control as the game progresses, while Sassuolo, after the 1-1 draw with Parma, typically scores but also concedes goals.
Sassuolo Form & Record Check
Going into matchday 19, Sassuolo are tenth in Serie A with 23 points, wedged between Lazio and Torino in a very tight part of the table. One win, three draws, and one defeat in their last five games underscore stability rather than grand ambitions, respectable but somewhat lacking compared to what their best phases might suggest they are capable of. In the 1-1 draw with Parma, everything happened before the break, with Thorstvedt scoring early, Parma responding, and even Grosso’s offensive substitutions with Fadera, Laurienté, and Pinamonti changed nothing. Before that, there was another 1-1 draw in Bologna, a decent point but another missed opportunity to close the gap at the top, while the 0-1 home defeat to Torino seemed flat, especially after the 3-1 win over Fiorentina and the courageous 2-2 draw in Milan. Statistically, the pattern is clear: in their last five league games, Sassuolo have scored in four and conceded in every game, with four of those first halves ending in draws and them never trailing, confirming the impression of a team that starts cautiously and opens up after the break. Their games regularly exceed the one-and-a-half-goal mark, entertaining but rarely truly controlled. Added to this, Fabio Grosso has to do without key players, with Berardi still out with a thigh problem, which inevitably reduces their potency in the final third, while Coulibaly, Pieragnolo, and Paz limit the options in defense. Laurienté, who Napoli are close to signing, along with Pinamonti and the lively Fadera, bring quality up front, so tenth place seems more acceptable than impressive at this stage.
Sassuolo are expected to line up in their familiar 4-3-3 under Grosso, with Murić in goal and a back four of Doig, Walukiewicz, Idzes, and Muharemović. In midfield, the forecast points to Matić as the defensive midfielder, supported by Thorstvedt and Lipani as the two central midfielders, a lineup that allows for both physical presence and late runs from Thorstvedt, who scored in the recent draw against Parma. Up front, the predicted trio sees Laurienté on the left, Fadera on the right, and Pinamonti as the central target man. This is a speculative lineup, not an official one, and details may change, especially as key players such as Berardi and Volpato remain sidelined, while defensive options such as Pieragnolo, Paz, and Coulibaly are also out.
Juventus Form & Record Check
Juventus travels to Sassuolo in solid, if not perfect, form. In their last five games in all competitions, the Bianconeri have collected four wins and a draw, remaining unbeaten. In Serie A, they sit in fourth place with 33 points and a goal difference of 8, four points behind Napoli, who are just ahead of them in the title race, while Roma are level on points and applying pressure from behind. Spalletti’s team has become a clear second-half side, with Juventus scoring in every second half in their last five games, scoring at least one goal in all five games and remaining unbeaten after the break, with a tendency to win those halves in 80% of cases. The first 45 minutes are much more congested and always end with less than one and a half goals, so the games usually open up late and remain relatively close. The 1-1 draw at home against Lecce exposed both strengths and weaknesses, with Juventus responding well to Banda’s goal, which came from Cambiaso’s disastrous back pass, and McKennie quickly equalizing. After that, the Bianconeri created enough to win comfortably, but Falcone repeatedly denied David, Yıldız hit the post, and Openda missed a huge chance, suggesting that a slight uncertainty may be creeping in when it comes to taking opportunities. Prior to this draw, Juventus had enjoyed a convincing run, winning 1-0 in Bologna, 2-1 at home against Roma, and 2-0 in Pisa, plus a controlled 2-0 victory over Pafos in the Champions League group stage. The performances were rarely spectacular, but the game management seemed mature, the defense remained compact, and late advances by players such as McKennie and Yıldız often decided games in their favor. Context is important: Spalletti is working without Gatti and Rugani in central defense and without both classic number nine options, Vlahović and Milik, so David and Openda are carrying a heavy attacking burden. Against Lecce, McKennie was pushed higher up the pitch, while Locatelli and Thuram maintained the balance, and Spalletti himself spoke of great room for improvement, which is fitting for a team that is still learning to fully exploit its dominance.
In line with our prediction, Juventus should start in a 4-2-3-1 formation under Spalletti, very similar to the game against Lecce, with Di Gregorio in goal, Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, and Cambiaso in front of him, and Locatelli and Thuram as double sixes. It could be that one of McKennie, Conceição, or Yıldız will be rotated, but our prediction leaves all three behind David. It remains a predicted lineup, not an official one, but the structure is likely to remain unchanged and the team is expected to stick with the formation it normally plays. In defense, Gatti and Rugani are unavailable, so Bremer and Kelly should continue in the center. Up front, injuries to Vlahović and Milik mean David remains the starter, with Openda the first replacement option and Kostić or Zhegrova the wing alternatives.
Sassuolo – Juventus Head-to-Head & Statistics
Juventus leads the head-to-head record in the last five Serie A meetings, with three wins to Sassuolo’s two, and there has not been a single draw, with each game having a clear winner. Juventus were ruthless in Turin, winning both home games 3-0, while in Emilia the balance is more even, with two Sassuolo wins and a narrow 2-1 victory for Juventus. In these five encounters, the matches were relatively open overall, with a total of 16 goals, 10 for Juventus and 6 for Sassuolo, averaging 3.2 per game, and four of the five games ended with more than 2.5 goals. There was also a series of three games between 2022 and 2023 in which each match remained under 3.5 goals before Sassuolo’s 4-2 win broke that pattern. In terms of tempo, these games usually reach their peak before the break, with at least two goals scored in the first half in four of the five games, while the second 45 minutes were much tighter, with under 1.5 goals in four of them and in three consecutive encounters during 2022 and 2023. Juventus scored in both halves in most of the matches, and one might think that Sassuolo’s defense will struggle if the game opens up early.
