An early-season clash at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza sees Inter welcome Sassuolo, with both sides looking to establish rhythm and momentum in Serie A. Cristian Chivu’s Inter aim to reinforce their strength at home, while Fabio Grosso’s Sassuolo arrive hoping to upset the odds and leave Milan with a statement result.
Softfootball gathered that Inter’s home record against Sassuolo has been unpredictable in recent years. Across their last three league meetings at San Siro, Inter have won once but lost twice, evidence that Sassuolo can be a difficult opponent in Milan. Looking at the last four encounters overall, Inter have two victories, but the fixture has rarely been one-sided.
Inter enter the match with three wins and three defeats in their last six games across all competitions. They have scored an average of 2.17 goals per game during this period while conceding 1.5 goals. Inter’s last game was a 2-0 win over Ajax in the Champions League, hence their second clean sheet of the season.
Here is the snippet of Thuram’s goal as shown on Inter’s official X handle, watch below:
At home, they have struggled slightly of late, winning just one of their previous three matches at San Siro and losing twice, though they still average two goals scored per game. And across all games in the Serie A this season, Inter are good goal scorers. Inter forced Juventus to a seven-goal thriller last weekend, which also speaks of their eyes for goal.
Statistically, Inter at San Siro are still strong: they create around 12 shots per game with 4.33 on target and maintain an average of 42.67% possession. While effective going forward, their possession figures suggest they are not always dominant in control of the ball compared to Serie A’s possession-heavy sides.
Sassuolo, on the other hand, come in with two wins and four losses from their last six matches. Their main concern has been in front of goal, with the team averaging only 0.67 goals scored per game while conceding 1.33. Away from home, however, Sassuolo have shown more intent, averaging 13.5 shots per game, nearly five on target, and 51% possession. This reflects Grosso’s preference for an assertive, attacking approach even when playing away.
Over a larger sample, Inter have taken 15 wins from their last 30 matches across all competitions, averaging 1.73 goals scored and 1.33 conceded. Their Serie A home record is particularly impressive: 20 wins in their last 30 home league games and unbeaten in 24 of them, which represents an 83% home unbeaten rate.
Sassuolo, by contrast, can point to six wins from their last 12 matches overall and the same number in their last 12 away league games. Away from home, they average 1.83 goals scored but concede 1.5 per match, showing they are comfortable in high-scoring, open games. However, they enter this fixture on a poor run, winless in five of their last six Serie A games, suggesting recent struggles in turning close contests into victories.
Team News
Inter will be without skipper Lautaro Martinez and Matteo Darmian ahead of Sunday’s clash, as coach Cristian Chivu seeks to trust the youngster Francesco Esposito to partner Thuram in the attack.
Meanwhile, Sassuolo’s trio of players, Sebastian Walukiewicz, Yeferson Paz and Laurs Skjellerup, have been ruled out of the clash.
Head to Head
Sassuolo 1 – 0 Internazionale
Internazionale 1 – 2 Sassuolo
Internazionale 4 – 2 Sassuolo
Sassuolo 1 – 2 Internazionale
Internazionale 0 – 2 Sassuolo
Possible lineups
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer (G); Yann Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni (D); Dumfries, Barella, Çalhanoğlu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (M); Thuram, Lautaro Martínez (A).
Chivu is expected to stick with his tried-and-tested 3-5-2, with no major absentees affecting his squad selection.
Sassuolo (4-3-3): Murić (G); Walukiewicz, Idzes, Muharemović, Doig (D); Vranckx, Matić, Boloca (M); Berardi, Pinamonti, Laurienté (A).
Grosso is expected to continue with his familiar 4-3-3, though Laurs Skjellerup remains sidelined through injury.
Softfootball’s prediction
Inter 2 vs 1 Sassuolo
