Sassuolo host Juventus at the Mapei Stadium on 13 September 2026 in Matchweek 4 of Serie A, a promoted side taking on an injury ravaged Juventus still searching for rhythm under Luciano Spalletti and Juventus arrive missing three midfielders. Sassuolo sit 10th with four points from three games, whereas Juventus are sixth with seven points and still unbeaten in the league.
Alberto Aquilani took charge of Sassuolo on 12 June 2026, replacing Fabio Grosso after promotion, making this his first senior top flight role. Spalletti was appointed Juventus coach in October 2025 after replacing Igor Tudor, so this is their first tactical meeting. Aquilani's youth focused pressing approach is a fairly different animal from Spalletti's more structured, possession oriented system and given how shorthanded both sides are in midfield, how that contrast plays out matters.
Sassuolo's last three league outings were a 2-2 draw with Bologna on 6 September, a 2-1 win over Torino on 29 August and a 1-2 loss to Atalanta on 23 August. Juventus drew 1-1 with Milan on 6 September before back to back wins including one over Frosinone in late August. The unbeaten run is there but that Milan draw showed how blunt they can look when the engine room is thin, which is worth remembering now that the engine room is thinner still.
Sassuolo lose Ismael Kone to a broken leg and Sebastian Walukiewicz to a leg injury, so Aquilani will lean on Nemanja Matic to screen in front of the back four, with Josh Doig at left back.
Juventus have it considerably worse in the middle of the park. Locatelli is ruled out for months, Kenan Yildiz is sidelined and Khephren Thuram is also unavailable, meaning Spalletti has no clean double pivot option and will need Teun Koopmeiners to win second balls, screen the back four and still find Gonzalez and Conceicao in forward positions. Whether Koopmeiners can carry that load for 90 minutes at an away ground is probably the question this match hinges on.
Sassuolo will likely line up in a 4-3-3 or something close, sitting compact and counter pressing when Juventus hold the ball. Matic screens in front of the back four to give Vasilije Adzic licence to push higher, with Berardi smart enough to find pockets behind Juventus's high defensive line. Armand Lauriente cuts inside from the left and can get in behind a full back who has pushed forward.
Juventus will look to control the game through a possession based 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, with Koopmeiners dropping deeper to compensate for the midfield losses. Nicolas Gonzalez and Francisco Conceicao will operate in the half spaces, looking to receive between the lines and run in behind, while Bremer steps to win headers and organise the defensive line, though without Locatelli in front of him there will be moments when gaps appear as Sassuolo press. Nick Woltemade's presence up front gives Juventus a target for longer balls when things get direct.
The injuries reshape the game plan on both sides, with Sassuolo having every reason to press high and force turnovers knowing Juventus are thin in midfield, while Juventus will want to slow the tempo and work through Conceicao and Gonzalez when Sassuolo's full backs push up. Berardi against the Juventus centre backs is the sharpest individual contest on the pitch and the Adzic and Koopmeiners battle in central midfield is where this game is most likely decided.
Juventus lead the head to head 17-4 across 25 meetings but Sassuolo have taken two of their last three home results against them at the Mapei Stadium, with the most recent meetings ending 1-1 there and 3-0 to Juventus at their own ground in January 2026.
Without Walukiewicz, Sassuolo's aerial defence at set pieces is more exposed and Bremer is Juventus's primary aerial option at dead balls. Sassuolo's delivery from wide through Lauriente and Berardi could trouble a Juventus backline that does not always look organised from set pieces. Sassuolo need points to bed themselves into mid table after promotion, whereas Juventus need them to keep pressure on the top of the table and Juventus's unbeaten defensive record matters specifically because their midfield cover is so thin.
1-2 Juventus. Even missing three midfielders, Gonzalez and Conceicao are a different level of problem for Sassuolo's back four and Spalletti will sit in a mid block and use them to run the channels on the break. Sassuolo will score once, Berardi will make sure of that but Juventus have enough to nick it by converting one or two chances.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
