Sassuolo vs Inter: Will Nerazzurri recover from UCL result with a win?
Inter will take on Sassuolo on Saturday evening, with the Nerazzurri hoping to recover from another disappointment in the UCL. While the reigning Scudetto champs have been pretty solid in Serie A under new coach Simone Inzaghi, with four wins and two draws from their first six games, the same can’t be said in the Champions League, where they’ve picked up just one point so far. Inter come into this match having drawn their last two fixtures across all comps, and while the Nerazzurri will likely be at least somewhat pleased with securing a two-all draw against a very stubborn Atalanta side, they will not be satisfied with having failed to score against Eastern European outfit Shakhtar. Given that Inter lost their UCL opener against Real Madrid, Shakhtar were the team many expected them to get off the mark so as to offset any damage caused by the Real Madrid loss.
Still, with Los Blancos suffering an embarrassing matchday two defeat to minnows Sheriff, Inter may not be as in dire straits as many would have thought. In any case, their attention will be fully focused on this upcoming tie, as Sassuolo have proved to be a nuisance for Inter in the past. This season, however, the Neroverdi haven’t been as impressive as they have in prior terms. For starters, Roberto De Zerbi, who masterminded many of their upsets over Italy’s bigger sides, has now moved on to Shakhtar, so perhaps it’s not entirely surprising that he was able to find a way to thwart Inter. Now under the tutelage of Alessio Dionisi, who previously managed Empoli, Sassuolo have struggled to get off the mark.
While the hosts will come into this tie having edged out newly promoted Salernitana, that’s their first win since the start of the season, when they picked up a 3-2 road win over Hellas Verona. Domenico Berardi again was the star of the show, scoring in the second half to help his team avoid what would have been another negative result, and Sassuolo will be hoping that the EURO 2020 winner will be able to come up big in this match. Although the Neroverdi have gotten results against Inter, they’ve actually lost their last two home meetings with the Nerazzurri, including a 3-0 defeat last season.
Berardi has developed a knack for scoring against Italy’s biggest clubs, with seven goals in his last ten appearances against teams who’re in the top three in the table. It’s no shock that he’s been linked with a possible move away this winter, with Leicester apparently one of the sides tracking his progress, but Sassuolo, who blocked him from moving this summer, will still be desperate to hang onto their star. As to whether they’re successful remains to be seen, but they will need Berardi at his very best if they want to successfully halt the reigning Scudetto champions.
Inter may be struggling for goals in the Champions League, but they’re certainly not having issues finding the back of the net in Serie A. The Nerazzurri have scored at least two goals in their last 11 games running, and could set a new club record if they continue this trend. Will Inter recover after a frustrating outing in the Champions League, or will Sassuolo pop up once again to throw a spanner in the works?
