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Monday night football comes to Serie A as Benevento take on Sassuolo at the Stadio Ciro Vigorito in a round 30 clash.
The Stregoni are 15th in the table, eight points clear of Cagliari in the relegation zone. Sassuolo are comfortably mid-table, their 40 points enough for the Neroverdi to occupy ninth place.
Having stunned Juventus with a 1-0 win in Turin away from home, Benevento swiftly returned to earth against Parma last week.
Pippo Inzaghi's side looked set for a 2-1 win, only for Dennis Man to score a late equalizer and deny the Stregoni a crucial three points.
Sassuolo pulled off an impressive 2-2 draw at home to Roma last weekend, having lost 2-3 away to Torino before the international break.
The Neroverdi were unable to stop the Inter Milan juggernaut in midweek action, falling to a 1-2 defeat at the Giuseppe Meazza.
Benevento vs Sassuolo Head-to-Head
Benevento and Sassuolo have only faced each other thrice in the last decade, with the Neroverdi winning twice, including their last trip to the Ciro Vigorito. Benevento avoided defeat only once, in the 2017-18 season.
The two teams met earlier in the season in December, with Sassuolo winning 1-0 at home.
Benevento form guide in Serie A: D-W-L-D-L
Sassuolo form guide in Serie A: L-D-L-W-L
Benevento vs Sassuolo Team News
Benevento
Pippo Inzaghi saw Gaetano Letizia make his return in the final minutes against Parma and the right-back should start. That will require a return to a four-man defense.
Iago Falque could also be in line for a start, although fellow forward Gabriele Moncini is injured.
Injured: Gabriele Moncini
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Sassuolo
Roberto de Zerbi will be without Hamed Traore for this game after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Inter. Kaan Ayhan remains unavailable due to COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Domenico Berardi and Gregoire Defrel are out injured, with fellow forward Francesco Caputo's participation in doubt.
Filippo Romagna and Mehdi Bourabia are still nursing long-term injuries.
Injured: Filippo Romagna, Mehdi Bourabia, Domenico Berardi, Gregoire Defrel
COVID-19: Kaan Ayhan
Doubtful: Francesco Caputo
Suspended: Hamed Traore
Benevento vs Sassuolo Predicted XI
Benevento Predicted XI (4-3-1-2): Lorenzo Montipo (GK); Gaetano Letizia, Alessandro Tuia, Kamil Glik, Federico Barba; Perparim Hetemaj, Pasquale Schiattarella, Artur Ionita; Iago Falque; Adolfo Gaich, Gianluca Lapadula
Sassuolo Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Andrea Consigli (GK); Mert Muldur, Vlad Chiriches, Gian Marco Ferrari, Rogerio; Pedro Obiang, Manuel Locatelli; Lukas Haraslin, Filip Djuricic, Jeremie Boga; Giacomo Raspadori
Benevento vs Sassuolo Prediction
The two teams may be separated by 10 points and six places in the table, but the result is far from a foregone conclusion. Pippo Inzaghi has had his starters return from injuries of late, while Roberto de Zerbi has suffered the opposite fate.
We expect Benevento to take advantage of Sassuolo's injuries in attack, thus nicking a crucial victory.
Prediction: Benevento 1-0 Sassuolo
