Salernitana and Sassuolo currently occupy the 20th and 19th positions in the Serie A standings. Among them, Sassuolo has a better chance of avoiding relegation with eight games remaining.
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Sassuolo is just one point away from safety, holding the 19th spot with 24 points. A victory against Salernitana could temporarily lift them out of the relegation zone after Friday’s match.
However, Sassuolo hasn’t won any of their last two games, managing only one point out of six. They suffered a 1-0 defeat against Roma followed by a 1-1 draw with Udinese.
Contrastingly, Salernitana is on a three-game losing streak in the league, facing defeats against Cagliari, Lecce, and Bologna. These losses have placed Salernitana at the bottom of the table, heading towards Serie B.
Salernitana holds the unwanted record of conceding the most goals in Serie A this season, tallying up to 62. Meanwhile, their attack has struggled, scoring only 23 goals, the second-fewest in the league.
Similarly, Sassuolo hasn’t been prolific in scoring, with 34 goals in 30 Serie A matches. Their defense is also porous, conceding 57 goals, ranking as the third-worst in Serie A.
Sassuolo has managed only two wins in 15 away matches this season, losing their last six on the road.
Salernitana’s home record isn’t impressive either, with just one win in 15 matches at home.
Nevertheless, Salernitana has been unbeaten in their last two matches against Sassuolo at the Arechi Stadium.
In the past five encounters between these teams, the home team has remained undefeated. Will this trend continue at the Arechi Stadium on Friday night?
In their previous encounter earlier this season at Sassuolo’s Mapei Stadium, the teams settled for a 2-2 draw.
Salernitana took an early 2-0 lead with goals from Chukwubuikem Ikwuemesi and Boulaye Dia, but Sassuolo fought back with two goals from Kristian Thorstvedt.
With nine goals each, Andrea Pinamonti and Domenico Berardi lead Sassuolo in goals. However, Berardi is sidelined for the rest of the season due to an ACL injury.
Meanwhile, former Lazio and Inter player Antonio Candreva leads Salernitana with five goals and six assists this season.
Considering the circumstances, we predict a rare home win for Salernitana, expecting them to secure a 1-0 victory and intensify the pressure on Sassuolo.
