Como vs Sassuolo
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There are weeks in football where you almost have to pinch yourself to check it’s real. Como, a club that was scrapping around in the fourth tier of Italian football less than two decades ago, just put four past Manchester United in the Champions League. Four. At Stadio Sinigaglia. The place was absolutely bouncing, and rightly so. Now, with Sassuolo rocking up on Saturday afternoon, Cesc Fabregas will be demanding that his squad keep their feet on the ground and their eyes on the league table. Back-to-back wins in Serie A is the target, and frankly, there’s no good reason to think they won’t get it.
The Lariani sit on 14 points after seven league games, equalling the club’s best ever start to a top-flight season, set way back in 1950. That’s not a stat you throw away lightly. They’ve already beaten Fiorentina at the Franchi, they’re unbeaten at home all season, and Nico Paz is playing the kind of football that makes you check his Wikipedia page to make sure he’s actually 20 years old. Sassuolo, meanwhile, arrive in Lombardy on the back of a 4-2 home defeat to newly promoted Frosinone. That result tells you everything you need to know about where the momentum sits ahead of this one.
For Sassuolo, there are still things to play for. A Coppa Italia last-16 tie with Juventus in December gives Alberto Aquilani’s side something to build towards, and Domenico Berardi is always capable of conjuring something out of nothing. But a winless run of 10 away games stretching back to February, combined with defensive errors that have become almost routine, means that turning over a Como side flying this high would rank as one of the biggest away results of the season. Possible, yes. Likely? Not a chance.
Como vs Sassuolo Form
Como’s form since the international break has been quietly electric. The 3-1 win at Fiorentina last weekend was the kind of performance that shuts up doubters, coming as it did on the back of two back-to-back defeats that had briefly made people wonder whether the Lariani were starting to feel the strain. They weren’t. Paz got on the scoresheet again, the team pressed with intensity throughout, and they made it look straightforward against a side that had started the season well. Then, three days later, Manchester United came to town in the Champions League. You know how that ended.
Sassuolo’s recent form reads like a cautionary tale. One point from their last three games, a 4-2 defeat to Frosinone sandwiched in there, and a goalkeeper in Arijanet Muric who has now gifted three goals this season through individual errors. The Neroverdi have made more mistakes leading to goals than any other team in Serie A this term, six in total, and that kind of structural fragility doesn’t fix itself overnight. They were behind inside the first 10 minutes against Frosinone and never really recovered, which is a pattern that keeps repeating itself under Aquilani. When you’re making gifts to newly promoted sides, a trip to play one of the form teams in the division looks very ominous indeed.
The contrast in momentum couldn’t be sharper. Como are scoring freely, defending well at home, and riding a wave of confidence that only comes from winning big games. Sassuolo are conceding early, making individual errors, and failing to hold leads when they do get them. If you had to design the perfect home fixture for a team at Como’s level right now, it would look a lot like this one.
Como vs Sassuolo Head to Head
The history between these two clubs in Serie A is still pretty fresh, given that Como only came back up to the top flight last season. When they met for the first time, Como won it. Sassuolo then hit back with a 2-1 victory at their place in April, which at least shows the Neroverdi can find something against this opponent when conditions suit. Fabregas will be well aware of that, and you’d expect him to make sure his side don’t take their foot off the gas. There’s also the Coppa Italia angle, where Como knocked Sassuolo out last season, so there’s a bit of needle in this fixture even if the history is still being written.
The venue is key here. Stadio Sinigaglia has been a fortress for Como this season, and Sassuolo’s away record is genuinely alarming. Ten games without a win on the road since February makes this one of the longest such runs in the division, and it’s hard to see what changes about their approach that suddenly makes them competitive away from home. The one thing history suggests is that Sassuolo can score against Como, so a shutout might be optimistic. But Como winning at Sinigaglia? That feels very much on trend.
Como vs Sassuolo Lineups
Fabregas has a few selection decisions to make after a hectic week. Trevoh Chalobah, Jesus Rodriguez, and Assane Diao are all out injured, while Mattia Liberali missed the United game with a shin complaint but is expected to return to contention. The more interesting call is up front, where Tasos Douvikas has been carrying the load across a packed fixture schedule. Moise Kean could come back into the frame if he’s fit enough, and given that Douvikas has scored all of his last six league goals away from home rather than at Sinigaglia, you can see why Fabregas might consider rotating. Paz starts regardless, obviously, because you’d have to sedate him to keep him off the pitch right now.
Sassuolo have their own injury headaches to navigate. Ismael Kone, Jay Idzes, Daniel Boloca, and Belgian defender Fedde Leysen are all unavailable, which puts real pressure on their midfield depth. Berardi will lead the attack, as he almost always does, with Sebastiano Esposito and Kieron Bowie scrapping for the spot alongside him. The Neroverdi’s probable back four remains largely intact, but with a goalkeeper prone to errors behind them, and a midfield missing key bodies, they look vulnerable in open play. The likely lineup of Muric in goal, Matic anchoring midfield, and Berardi as the focal point gives them a recognisable shape, but not enough firepower to make up for defensive fragility.
Como vs Sassuolo Tactics
Fabregas has built Como around a press-heavy, high-tempo game that suffocates opponents who aren’t used to it. They push up the pitch, they win the ball high, and they transition at pace. Paz is the heartbeat of all of it, moving between lines, combining quickly with Da Cunha and Baturina, and getting himself into the box at the right moments. The wide players, Addai and Baturina in particular, give them width and directness, while the midfield engine room keeps the tempo relentless. At Sinigaglia, with the crowd behind them after what happened on Wednesday, that atmosphere is going to be an extra factor from the first whistle.
Sassuolo will look to sit in and try to hit on the counter, which has been Aquilani’s general approach when facing better sides away from home. Berardi dropping deep to link play is their best bet for creating something, and Lauriente can be dangerous when he gets space out wide. But their defensive structure has been too easily broken down this season, and against a Como side that can play through pressure or go direct to Douvikas, Sassuolo’s backline is going to have a very uncomfortable afternoon. The early goal conceded against Frosinone is the template Como will want to replicate here, because once they’re ahead, the Neroverdi’s confidence evaporates quickly on the road.
Como vs Sassuolo Prediction and Betting Tips
Como are flying. Sassuolo are leaking goals, making errors, and can’t win away from home. The home side are unbeaten at Sinigaglia, their talisman is in the form of his life, and they’ve just had an enormous confidence boost from putting four past one of England’s biggest clubs in Europe. Everything points the same direction here.
The tip is Como to win and both teams to score, with Sassuolo having enough about them in attack via Berardi to nick one even in a defeat. Como should have too much quality and too much momentum to drop points here, but backing a clean sheet feels like pushing it given the Neroverdi’s threat going forward. Match Result and BTTS, Como win and yes, is the play.