Sassuolo vs Napoli

Mapei Stadium forms the backdrop for a high-stakes Serie A showdown between relegation-battling Sassuolo and downtrodden champions Napoli.

A morale-crushing 3-2 home defeat to fellow relegation rivals Empoli proved a step too far for long-serving boss Alessio Dionisi, who’s no longer in charge of the Neroverdi outfit. It might have taken the Sassuolo hierarchy too long to sack the Italian as they languish in the Serie A drop zone at the start of this round on goal difference, not to mention their dreadful six-game winless league run (D1, L5). Mapei Stadium was supposed to be their safe haven, yet the hosts have emerged victorious from just one of their last nine home league fixtures (D3, L5). Caretaker manager Emiliano Bigica’s first assignment is to stem the bleeding at the back after Sassuolo conceded a whopping 11 goals across their last four league outings.

Luckily for the Emilia-Romagna strugglers, they’ll be up against a misfiring Napoli, whose barren run in Serie A continued with a late 1-1 draw at Cagliari over the weekend. New manager Francesco Calzona has got his tenure off to a sluggish start, drawing back-to-back matches after replacing Walter Mazzarri in the dugout. Stranded in mid-table, a staggering 11 points adrift of fourth-placed Bologna, the reigning Scudetto holders are no longer in contention for a Champions League finish. Part of the reason is their embarrassing away form. You’d need to go back to November for Napoli’s last Serie A win outside Naples, while they’ve racked up a seven-game winless away league run in the aftermath (D2, L5).