AS Roma vs. Sassuolo: Issues and Decisions That Will Shape Serie A Game
Sassuolo players scored both goals in a 1-1 draw the last time they met Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.
Neroverdi left-back Alessandro Longhi scored a calamitous own goal early on after Gianluca Pegolo denied Alessandro Florenzi, but Domenico Berardi spared his team-mate's blushes by grabbing a valuable equaliser in the game's dying moments.
Thirteen months on, Sassuolo have been extremely impressive, and after avoiding relegation last May, they currently sit in the top half of the Serie A table.
Roma, meanwhile, continue their push for their first title in 14 years, and with a three-point gap between them and leaders Juventus, they can't afford any slip-ups against the league's more modest outfits.
On paper, this looks like a relatively easy fixture for the home side, but with a decisive Champions League fixture against Manchester City coming just four days later, squad rotation and the pressure to be in top shape for midweek could mean Sassuolo are facing the Giallorossi at an ideal time to cause an upset.
These Clubs Are Worlds Apart but Share Some Common Bonds
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For the most part, Roma and Sassuolo couldn't be more different.
The Giallorossi are at the heart of Italy's biggest city, are one of Italian football's Sette Sorelle—the seven sisters (Serie A's seven biggest clubs)—and are expected to compete for the Scudetto every season. In contrast, the Neroverdi are based in the smallest town ever to be represented in the Italian top flight, a municipality in Emilia-Romagna with a population roughly equal to half the capacity of the Stadio Olimpico.
There are some links, however. For one, Sassuolo's manager, Eusebio Di Francesco, won the league as part of the Giallorossi's midfield in 2001. The 45-year-old is remembered fondly in the capital, and he, in turn, still has a soft spot for the city. In an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport in the build-up to this game, he recalled his time with Roma as like being part of a "beautiful family."
Sassuolo also have two former Romanisti on the squadsheet. Luca Antei, the promising Italian defender, grew up at the Lupi's academy and Matteo Brighi spent eight years at the club before leaving in 2012.
Roma's Antonio Sanabria, meanwhile, arrived in the capital from Barcelona via Sassuolo so that Rudi Garcia's side wouldn't exceed the league's quota on foreign signings.
Relations between the two sides are clearly healthy, and in theory, neither poses much of a threat to the other's ambitions. Roma should have enough quality to beat the Emilia-Romagnans and Sassuolo won't be basing their strategy for Serie A survival on winning away from home against one of the league's heavyweights.
That said, Sassuolo did pull off a dramatic draw in this fixture last season, thanks to a very late goal from young star Domenico Berardi.
The 20-year-old striker is owned by Juventus, so he'd surely like to help his parent club out by sinking the Giallorossi. Di Francesco, meanwhile, couldn't find a better stage on which to display his own prowess. Causing an upset against his old club would do wonders for his reputation as a coach—and bag three valuable points for a tiny club that is now within touching distance of the league's European places.
Champions League Will Influence Roma's Squad Selection
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Rudi Garcia is going to have one eye on the upcoming midweek Champions League fixture when Roma meet Sassuolo.
The must-win clash with Manchester City at the Olimpico will mean that the 50-year-old Frenchman is likely to rest key personnel to make sure that he has the best possible starting XI on Wednesday night.
Of course, with the amount of talent currently on the books at Roma, rotation wouldn't excuse dropping points here.
Just looking at the attack, most managers could only dream of being able to select between Francesco Totti, Mattia Destro, Alessandro Florenzi, Juan Iturbe, Gervinho and Adem Ljajic—even with two games in quick succession.
Elsewhere, Garcia will have some concerns.
The midfield never functions as well without Miralem Pjanic, but the manager would ideally like to keep the Bosnian fresh for the Champions League.
Bringing Kevin Strootman back into the line-up would provide plenty of energy alongside the likes of Daniele De Rossi, Radja Nainggolan and Seydou Keita, but the creative void when Pjanic is left out has greatly weakened Roma in the past.
At the back, Vasilis Torosidis' injury means Maicon is the only obvious option at right-back, but due to the physical problems that the Brazilian has suffered this season, that flank will be minor worry. Florenzi has proved himself capable of filling in, but it would be preferable not to resort to such a stop-gap measure against City. With that in mind, the Roman could start at the back against Sassuolo, leaving Maicon to prepare for the crucial European game four days later.
His recent neurosurgery means the Giallorossi will be without Leandro Castan for the rest of the season, and a thigh injury means that there are doubts surrounding the fitness of France international Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.
That leaves just Davide Astori and Kostas Manolas as recognised centre-backs, so it's vital that neither is hurt at the weekend.
Sassuolo Have Fixture Congestion Problems Too
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Sassuolo have rotation problems of their own. This will be the Neroverdi's third game in the space of seven days—something that is bound to take a huge toll on such a small team.
Di Francesco's men pulled off a dramatic win against Hellas Verona on Saturday, thanks to a late goal from Saphir Taider, and then beat Pescara in the Coppa Italia in midweek, making it eight games since their last defeat in all competitions.
Some fringe players were used in the cup game, but fatigue could still play a huge part at the weekend.
Di Francesco Needs His Forwards to Click
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Players like Paolo Cannavaro and Francesco Acerbi have been performing well at the back, but if they're to continue this impressive unbeaten run, then Di Francesco will need Domenico Berardi, Nicola Sansone and Simone Zaza to contribute more up front.
Berardi, one of Italy's hottest youth prospects, has contributed four assists but just three goals, putting him 24th in the current Capocannoniere rankings. Last season, while still a teenager, he notched an impressive 16 goals, the same amount as Giuseppe Rossi and Fernando Llorente, and just one less than Rodrigo Palacio, Gonzalo Higuain and Antonio Di Natale.
Sassuolo's attacking trident of young talent is highly regarded—and rightly so—but the Neroverdi need more goals from them, and the game with Roma would be the perfect place for the trio to start. It would also be the ideal time for veteran Sergio Floccari to get back on the scoresheet. After all, he was a Lazio player for four years.
Colin O'Brien is based in Rome, Italy. He's on twitter, @ColliOBrien.
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