Monza vs Sassuolo Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview
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Monza
SassuoloThere is something genuinely compelling about a newly promoted side hosting a team that has just beaten Juventus. Monza are scrapping for survival in Serie A again after working their way back through the playoffs, while Sassuolo arrive in Lombardy on the back of one of the results of the Italian season so far. On paper, the visitors should have this wrapped up comfortably. But football does not always play ball with paper, and Monza at home, desperate for their first points, makes this a fixture worth paying close attention to.
Sassuolo are a side with a real identity under Alberto Aquilani, bursting with confidence and capable of hurting anyone on their day. Monza are a club that looks shaky at the back, particularly from set pieces, and their recent record in Serie A is genuinely alarming. This one has goals written all over it, and there is a solid betting angle here if you look at the right markets.
The fixture takes place at the Stadio Brianteo in Monza, with both clubs competing in Serie A. Monza were promoted back to the top flight via the Serie B playoffs and are making their return to Italian football’s elite level, while Sassuolo are themselves no strangers to life in the top division and have made a bright start under their new gaffer.
Neither side goes into this one in perfect shape, but Sassuolo’s injury list is particularly lengthy for a team performing as well as they are. Monza also have a few key names missing, which makes Ivan Juric’s task even harder.
Juric will likely set Monza up to be compact and hard to break down, though their defensive record this season suggests that plan keeps falling apart in practice. Varela should start up front after his return, with Cutrone and Mota pushing for a place alongside him or in support.
Sassuolo have a genuine selection headache in attack. Sebastiano Esposito scored on his full debut against Juventus, but Kieron Bowie came off the bench and also found the net. Aquilani has a good problem to solve there. Domenico Berardi should start regardless, given his extraordinary record against newly promoted sides.
Sassuolo are flying. Beating Juventus with virtually the last kick of the game, courtesy of a goal from Juventus owned loanee Vasilije Adzic against his own parent club, is the sort of result that gets talked about for months. Before that they were level deep into stoppage time against Bologna and let a win slip, so there is a slight question about whether they can see games out. But seven points from a possible twelve is a solid start, and Aquilani has also guided them into the last 16 of the Coppa Italia.
The one concern for the away end is Sassuolo’s record on the road. They have not won away from home in eight games, a run stretching back to February. At some point that has to end, and a fixture against a Monza side with one win in their last 22 Serie A matches looks as good an opportunity as any to break that streak.
Monza are in serious trouble. Three defeats and a draw this season leaves them right on the edge of the drop zone, and the manner of those defeats is worrying. They went to Lecce and fell two behind inside 12 minutes, never really threatening to turn it around in a 3 2 loss. At home to Udinese they also went down 3 2. They are conceding goals for fun, particularly from set pieces, having already let in six league goals directly from dead ball situations. That is an extraordinary number at this stage of the season and will not have gone unnoticed in the Sassuolo camp.
One of the most striking stats surrounding this fixture is that Sassuolo have never beaten Monza in Serie A. In four meetings at this level, Monza have taken 10 points. That is a remarkable record for a side currently propping up the table, and it is the kind of number that should make you think twice before backing a comfortable Sassuolo win at short odds.
That said, the context is very different now. Monza were a more settled club in those previous meetings, and Sassuolo have a clearer identity and momentum behind them this time around. Head to head records matter, but form and confidence matter more, and right now those two factors both point firmly in the visitors’ direction.
Sassuolo are the obvious pick to win this, and the price should reflect their superior quality and momentum. But given the head to head record and Monza’s desperate need for points, there is a chance the home side makes a real game of it. The smarter money is in the goals and cards markets rather than simply backing an away win at whatever the bookies hand out.
Given both sides’ tendency to be involved in high scoring games and Monza’s alarming defensive record, a 2 1 to Sassuolo feels about right. The home side will likely nick a goal, probably from a set piece, but the visitors have too much quality and confidence to be stopped here.
Yes, and it should not be a particularly difficult call. Monza have scored in their recent defeats, and they have Varela back and firing. Sassuolo have their own defensive absences, including the loss of Idzes for six weeks, and Monza are dangerous enough from dead ball situations to threaten any backline. Both teams to score looks well worth backing here.
Monza are a side fighting for their lives in Serie A, and Juric’s teams historically play with an edge and a willingness to put themselves about physically. A relegation threatened home side facing a confident, free flowing Sassuolo attack is exactly the kind of fixture where yellow cards accumulate, particularly in midfield where the home side will be trying to disrupt the visitors’ rhythm. Over 3.5 cards in this one is a market worth exploring.
Domenico Berardi. The man is almost designed for games like this. His record against newly promoted clubs is one of the most consistent individual stats in Italian football, and he goes into this fixture as Sassuolo’s talisman and creative heartbeat. He loves these occasions and Monza’s leaky defence is exactly the kind he tends to punish.
| Market | Selection |
|---|---|
| Both Teams To Score | Yes |
| First Goalscorer | Domenico Berardi |
| Total Cards | Over 3.5 |
Berardi’s outstanding record against promoted sides pairs perfectly with the BTTS angle given Monza’s defensive fragility, and a feisty atmosphere with a desperate home side chasing the game should generate plenty of bookings throughout.
Sassuolo win this one. The head to head record is a talking point, but this is a Monza side that is struggling badly, leaking goals from set pieces, and desperately low on confidence. Sassuolo, by contrast, have just knocked Juventus off their perch and are playing with the kind of swagger that makes them difficult to contain. Aquilani has built something here, and a fragile Monza backline is exactly what they need right now to end that long run without a win on the road.
The final score lands at 2 1 to Sassuolo. Monza will grab one, almost certainly from a dead ball, but the visitors have the quality and the momentum to see this through and pick up three crucial points away from the Mapei Stadium.