Hellas Verona vs Sassuolo
Serie A is back with a slew of exciting fixtures for this upcoming weekend.
One of them is the intriguing matchup between Hellas Verona and Sassuolo over at the Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium, and both of these teams are eager to restart on a good note.
Prior to the international break, the Gialloblu and the Neroverdi have been in great form, although both are far from satisfied. Sassuolo remain at the second spot with 15 points while Hellas Verona are six notches below them with 12 points.
A victory by the visitors can elevate them on top of the food chain, while a win by the hosts can see themselves overtake the likes of Napoli, AS Roma, Atatanta, and even defending champions Juventus.
Coming into this season, neither Hellas Verona and Sassuolo are expected to be in the title race. But now that they are in it, both are eager to prove that they are no joke.
So who will come away with a huge win this weekend? Read on below as SBOTOP examines both of these clubs in this match preview.
Talking Points
Hellas Verona’s resolute defence will be tested
The Gialloblu have been defying preseason expectations as they have only lost one game so far this term.
Ivan Juric’s side boasts Serie A’s best backline as they’ve only conceded five goals as of this writing.
Against AC Milan in the last time out, Hellas Verona squandered a golden opportunity to pull one over the Italian top-flight table leaders.
After scoring two goals in just the first 20 minutes, the Gialloblu defence faltered as they surrendered two goals. One can argue that it would’ve been three for the Rossoneri if Zlatan Ibrahimovic didn’t miss his penalty late.
Coming into this weekend, Hellas Verona’s defence will be put to the test once again as they’ll face the red-hot Sassuolo squad.
Their defensive midfield depth will take a hit as Darko Lazovic recently tested positive for COVID-19, and that leaves the likes of Ivan Ilic, Federico Dimarco, and Pawel Dawidowicz taking on bigger roles.
Hellas Verona cannot afford to concede goals against a resurgent Sassuolo squad, especially since they haven’t won against them since 2017.
Sassuolo continue to surprise
Like Hellas Verona, the Neroverdi have also caught everyone by surprise — albeit to a larger degree — as they remain second in the Serie A table.
Their torrid start was met with several skeptics, as many pundits saw them as an early season anomaly since they weren’t tested by the big clubs at the time.
But fast forward to today, not only they are in the thick of the title race, they also have the most formidable attack here in Serie A.
With 18 goals off the bounce, the Neroverdi have been getting major contributions from their key players.
Francesco Caputo is a walking Serie A 2020 highlights reel, having notched five goals and two assists, while Domenico Berardi and Filip Djuricic have combined for six goals and three assists.
Many are wondering on when will Sassuolo slow down. But with Roberto de Zerbi inspiring his team at the helm, it is clear that the Neroverdi will fight tooth and nail to belong in the upper echelon.
History
The Gialloblu and the Neroverdi have locked horns in 18 matches prior to this Saturday’s fixture.
The overall head-to-heads is a close one between these two, as Sassuolo won in eight games while Hellas Verona won in six along with four draws.
In their previous tiff last June, Hellas Verona and Sassuolo were entangled in a dramatic 3-3 draw.
After a lacklustre first half, the floodgates were opened as five individuals poured in the goals.
Hellas Verona threatened to come away with the victory when Darko Lazovic, Mariusz Stepinski, and Matteo Pessina scored one each.
However, Sassuolo were buoyed by a brace from Jeremie Boga and a crucial equaliser from Rogerio during added time.
Betting Tip
Hellas Verona vs Sassuolo | Under 2.75 @ 2.33 | |
November 22, 22:00 (GMT+8) |
The Serie A 2020 odds have this fixture as a close affair between these two sides.
Sassuolo are priced to win at 2.26, while Hellas Verona are pegged at 2.81 and chances for a draw are at 3.70 in the 1X2 market.
While their previous matchup featured a six-goal thriller, it is quite unlikely that it will happen this Saturday night. Hence, my recommendation is to go for Under 2.75 @ 2.33, while Total Goal 2-3 @ 2.10 is also a safe alternative.
Both Hellas Verona and Sassuolo have passed their tests with the challenges presented to them early this season.
While Sassuolo can pour in the goals, Hellas Verona are determined not to turn this into a goalfest to give themselves a good chance to draw out a positive result at home.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR () BETS ARE WORTH: | |||
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= €20 (Highly confident) | = €10 (CONFIDENT) | = €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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The post Serie A: Can Hellas Verona Cool Off Red-Hot Sassuolo? appeared first on SBOTOP.