After finally claiming their first Serie A success of the season, Cremonese continue their improbable battle for survival on Monday, as they visit mid-table Sassuolo.
Adding an overdue league victory to last month's Coppa Italia win over Roma temporarily lifted the Grigiorossi off the foot of the table, while their hosts also took maximum points last time out.
Match preview
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Sassuolo's 1-0 win at Lecce last week saw their recent revival continue, also allowing them to leapfrog their Puglian hosts in the Serie A standings.
Kristian Thorstvedt's header split the sides at Stadio Via del Mare, and after a run of eight league games without a win, Sassuolo have now won three of their last five - losing just once.
Head coach Alessio Dionisi guided the Neroverdi to 11th place last season after picking up the mantel from Roberto De Zerbi, and his team are showing signs of getting back on track to match that finish in June.
Should they win on Monday evening, they would equal their points tally for 2021-22 after 25 matches (30), and would be well on course to continue an eight-year streak of having finished 12th or better in the final Serie A standings.
Defeats of Milan and Atalanta since the turn of the year will leave Dionisi confident of continuing an impressive run at Cremonese's expense - particularly as Sassuolo have failed to score just once in their last 23 matches against promoted sides.
That single instance did occur last September, though, against none other than the Grigiorossi, who were then freshly arrived from Serie B and anticipating a successful comeback campaign.
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In fact, taking into account Calcio's top two tiers and the Coppa Italia, Cremonese's only major meeting with Sassuolo has been that 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture at Stadio Giovanni Zini.
Since then, Cremo's seemingly endless search for a league win continued until the final day of February, when they upset Roma for a second time this season to finally give their fans something to celebrate, thanks to goals from Frank Tsadjout and Daniel Ciofani - the latter firing home the winner from the spot.
Davide Ballardini may not have worked miracles since his arrival to replace former boss Massimiliano Alvini, but hauled his new club off the bottom of the table - until Sampdoria earned a point on Sunday - and helped them into the Coppa Italia's final four via victory over Roma in the quarter-finals.
After equalling the longest winless run ever recorded in Serie A, some 30 matches, Cremonese could now win successive top-flight fixtures for the first time since March 1996, though time is already running out if they are to avoid a quick return to Serie B.
The Grigiorossi's hopes of building momentum are not backed by precedent, however, as the Lombardy club have not taken three points from any of 13 previous trips to the Emilia-Romagna region in Serie A, so they will hope to end another miserable streak at the Mapei Stadium on Monday.
Team News
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Unable to retain a winning team due to star man Domenico Berardi missing Monday's game through suspension, Alessio Dionisi must make at least one change to his lineup.
Armand Lauriente is back from a ban at an opportune time, so should step straight back into Sassuolo's starting XI, with Nedim Bajrami shifting to the right side of a front three to deputise for Berardi.
While injured defensive duo Jeremy Toljan and Mert Muldur remain unavailable, since the start of 2023, only two Serie A players have made more headed clearances than current centre-back pairing Ruan Tressoldi and Martin Erlic (21 each).
Cremonese, meanwhile, will be without Alex Ferrari due to a one-match ban for accumulated bookings, so veteran defender Vlad Chiriches returns to the back three.
Davide Ballardini's only major fitness concern relates to midfielder Michele Castagnetti, so Marco Benassi should continue to feature in the visitors' engine room. The latter has been directly involved in four goals against Sassuolo in Serie A (two of his own and two assists), including his first-ever top-flight strike back in January 2014.
Since coming into the side of late, Frank Tsadjout has made quite an impact, and the Milan youth product is set to partner David Okereke up front.
Sassuolo possible starting lineup:
Consigli; Zortea, Erlic, Ruan, Rogerio; Frattesi, Obiang, Henrique; Bajrami, Defrel, Lauriente
Cremonese possible starting lineup:
Carnesecchi; Bianchetti, Vasquez, Chiriches; Sernicola, Benassi, Pickel, Meite, Valeri; Okereke, Tsadjout
We say: Sassuolo 2-1 Cremonese
Having finally ended their drought, Cremonese will now be seeking a first away victory of their league campaign - however, despite recent improvements, they have conceded at a rate of nearly two goals per game on the road. Sassuolo are also looking a lot more like their old selves, so can be expected to post a fourth win in six games.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
