Sassuolo vs Fiorentina Prediction: Relegation Six-Pointer Ends in Stalemate

Serie A Matchday 10 brings together two sides stuck near the bottom of the table. Sassuolo sit 15th with eight points from nine matches, while Fiorentina are 17th with just five and the gap between them feels meaningful right now: this is exactly the kind of game that can drag one side further into trouble and give the other just enough breathing room to steady themselves.

Alberto Aquilani took over at Sassuolo on 12 June 2026 after replacing Fabio Grosso and Paolo Vanoli was appointed Fiorentina coach on 7 September 2026, also replacing Grosso, though neither has any history with the other. Both men inherited squads shaped by the same previous manager and have had weeks rather than months to change how these squads actually play.

Sassuolo have gone L-L-L-D-L in their last five, including a brutal 2-6 hammering by Lazio on 27 October. Fiorentina aren't much better, recording D-L-L-L-D in theirs and drawing 2-2 with Atalanta on 29 October and both defences have conceded in every match across that run.

Sassuolo's injury list is long enough to be genuinely alarming, with Kristian Thorstvedt suspended after his red card against Lazio and Fedde Leysen (ACL), Ismael Kone (broken leg), Yeferson Paz (knee) and Daniel Boloca all out through injury. That's a lot of defensive stability and midfield cover gone at once. Fiorentina's problems are almost as severe: Luca Ranieri is a doubt with a leg injury and Arthur Atta, Fabiano Parisi (post knee surgery) and Marin Pongracic (muscle) are all unavailable, with the absences hitting the backline and central areas hardest.

Both managers use a 4-3-3, though the squads on the day will look rather different from the ideal. The 2-6 against Lazio exposed how badly the spaces behind the full backs can be exploited when the press breaks down and without Thorstvedt and Boloca the back four has less protection than usual, meaning Vasilije Adzic (the team's top scorer with three goals) will need to be Sassuolo's primary creative outlet with the midfield protection around him reduced, alongside Berardi, Esposito and Lauriente. Fiorentina have Franco Mastantuono, also on three goals, as their main threat, with Mateo Pellegrino and Alieu Njie in support and David de Gea's experience behind them. Losing four defenders to injury makes it hard for Vanoli's side to hold their shape once the game opens up, especially if Sassuolo exploit the central gaps left by the missing bodies. Whether Adzic can draw Fiorentina's midfield high enough to create space in behind for Berardi or Lauriente could define Sassuolo's evening, equally, if Mastantuono finds space against a depleted defence, that becomes Fiorentina's clearest path to scoring, with both teams likely leaning on set pieces and longer balls more than either would like.

Sassuolo won their last two home Serie A meetings against Fiorentina, 3-1 in December 2025 and 1-0 in January 2024, before the most recent encounter ended 0-0 in April 2026, leaving the last five fixtures split evenly at two wins apiece. They have also scored in eleven or more consecutive home meetings in this fixture, which is worth noting even given how poor their current form is.

The most realistic outcome here is a game neither side can control for long. Adzic's movement and Berardi's experience give Sassuolo threats even in a depleted side but losing Thorstvedt, Leysen, Kone, Paz and Boloca strips away too much defensive and midfield structure for them to press high or recover quickly. Mastantuono, three goals already this season, gives Fiorentina a focal point even when the team around him is disrupted but the four defensive absences leave Vanoli's shape exposed. Sassuolo's home record in this fixture would normally favour them but both squads are too depleted for that to carry much weight. A goalless draw would be a fair reflection of two squads too short handed to impose themselves and it would do more damage to Fiorentina, who are two points deeper in trouble and running out of time to close the gap.