Juventus welcome Sassuolo to the Allianz Stadium on Sunday, looking to continue their fine start to the new year.
After opening 2021 with a resounding 4-1 thrashing of Udinese, the reigning Serie A champions beat the previously-unbeaten league leaders AC Milan 3-1 at the San Siro.
This back-to-back run of wins has lifted the Bianconeri from sixth up to fourth in the standings, just three points behind AS Roma with a game in hand.
Andrea Pirlo, previously under fire for a struggling start to the season, has also been cut some slack to focus on his next challenge.
The Neroverdi are just a point behind the Turin outfit, but they have played a game more. Sassuolo have caused plenty of troubles to rivals in Serie A in recent times.
Juventus vs Sassuolo Head-To-Head
Juventus have traditionally dominated this fixture with 11 wins from 15 games. Sassuolo have beaten them only once since gaining promotion in 2013.
Last season, both top-flight games between the sides ended all square. The Bianconeri were held 2-2 at home followed by an epic 3-3 thriller in Sassuolo.
Juventus Form Guide (all competitions): D-W-L-W-W
Sassuolo Form Guide (all competitions): D-L-W-L-W
Juventus vs Sassuolo Team News
Juventus
The title holders will continue to be without Alvaro Morata, Juan Cuadrado, and Alex Sandro, all of whom are injured. Danilo needs to be careful as he is one booking away from suspension.
Injured: Alvaro Morata, Juan Cuadrado, and Alex Sandro
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Sassuolo
Star striker Domenico Berardi, Fillipo Romagna, and Federico Ricci are all unavailable for the Neroverdi due to injuries. Centre-back Vlad Chiriches is on four yellow cards, and another one on Sunday would rule him out of the Parma game.
Injured: Domenico Berardi, Fillipo Romagna, and Federico Ricci
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Juventus vs Sassuolo Predicted XI
Juventus (4-4-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Danilo, Leonardo Bonucci, Matthijs de Ligt, Gianluca Frabotta; Federico Chiesa, Adrian Rabiot, Rodrigo Bentancur, Aaron Ramsey; Paulo Dybala, Cristiano Ronaldo
Sassuolo (4-2-3-1): Andrea Consigli; Mert Muldur, Kaan Ayhan, Gian Marco Ferrari, Rogerio; Francesco Magnanelli, Manuel Locatelli; Gregoire Defrel, Filip Djuricic, Jeremie Boga; Francesco Caputo
Juventus vs Sassuolo Prediction
Even without the services of the peerless Berardi, Sassuolo may exploit the weaknesses in Juve's defence.
However, Juve are growing in confidence and we expect them to see Sassuolo off and claim another three points.
Prediction: Juventus 3-1 Sassuolo