Sassuolo v Fiorentina preview: Vanoli’s strugglers face leaky hosts in Reggio Emilia
Sassuolo v Fiorentina pits two Serie A sides winless in five against each other, with Vanoli's Viola level on points with the bottom three.
Sassuolo v Fiorentina kicks off at 17:30 UK time on Monday with two struggling sides, both winless in five Serie A games, meeting at the Mapei Stadium as the pressure builds at the wrong end of the table.
Main image: DSN graphic
Alberto Aquilani’s Sassuolo sit 15th on eight points after nine matches. Paolo Vanoli’s Fiorentina have only five and are level on points with the teams in the bottom three. Somebody’s slide has to stop in Reggio Emilia, and neither side can afford it to be theirs.
Sassuolo v Fiorentina: form and table
Sassuolo started brightly. They beat Juventus 3-2 at home on 13 September and later held AC Milan 1-1. Since then it has gone badly wrong. Their last five league games have brought one draw and four defeats, ending with a 6-2 hammering at home by Lazio last time out. Before that came a 2-0 loss at Como, the side who have since kept rolling with Como’s narrow win over Venezia.
The defence is the problem. Sassuolo have shipped 22 league goals, the joint-worst record in Serie A, and have conceded in 12 league matches in a row.
Fiorentina are not much tighter. They have let in 21 and have conceded in each of their last 10 league games. The club parted with Fabio Grosso after a dreadful start and turned back to Vanoli, but their only league win this season is still the 4-2 victory at Venezia on 11 September. Their last outing was a 2-2 home draw with Atalanta, who take on Parma tonight in a match covered in our Atalanta v Parma preview. Parma are one of the clubs level with Fiorentina on five points.
| Key numbers | Sassuolo | Fiorentina |
|---|---|---|
| Points (games) | 8 (9) | 5 (9) |
| Last five league games | D1 L4 | D2 L3 |
| League goals conceded | 22 | 21 |
| Last meeting | 0-0 | Florence, April 2026 |
Team news
Sassuolo are without Kristian Thorstvedt, who is suspended after his straight red card against Lazio. Fedde Leysen (knee ligament), Ismael Koné (broken leg) and Yeferson Paz (knee) are also out, according to pre-match reports. Vasilije Adžić leads the scoring with three league goals, with Domenico Berardi and Sebastiano Esposito expected to start in attack.
Fiorentina are missing Marin Pongračić, Fabiano Parisi and Arthur Atta, while Luca Ranieri is a doubt. Franco Mastantuono, Alex Jiménez and Mateo Pellegrino have scored seven of the Viola’s 11 league goals between them. David de Gea is expected in goal.
Head-to-head
Last season’s meeting in Florence finished 0-0 in April. Sassuolo won the previous game between the sides 3-1 at home in December 2025. Across their Serie A history the fixture is close: Fiorentina have nine wins, Sassuolo eight, and seven games have been drawn.
What’s at stake
A Sassuolo win would open a six-point gap over Fiorentina and ease the mood after the Lazio collapse. A Fiorentina win would lift them level with Aquilani’s side and give Vanoli something to build on. Both defences have been so generous that a goalless draw would be a surprise.
Elsewhere in Italy this weekend, Juventus hosted Napoli in one of the round’s biggest games. Off the pitch, our sister site DGBN has covered Fiorentina’s talks with Manchester United over a Zirkzee loan.
Referee Matteo Marcenaro takes charge.
