- 1 Sassuolo vs Cesena: five shutouts against five games without a win
- 2 Sassuolo: a fresh project and a pre-season that raises eyebrows
- 3 Cesena: four wins, one draw and not a goal conceded
- 4 Football Prediction Sassuolo vs Cesena
- 5 First, a word on our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Sassuolo vs Cesena: five shutouts against five games without a win 
The two pre-season runs tell opposite stories. Cesena finished the summer with four wins and a draw, without conceding once, while Sassuolo have failed to win any of their last five friendlies.
That contrast gives this first-round Italian Cup tie a bit of edge, even if it looked like a routine assignment on paper. Sassuolo play in Serie A, Cesena in Serie B, but the gap in current form narrows the margin.
The match kicks off on Monday, 17 August at 18:30 at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia, with two clubs from Emilia-Romagna going head to head. The winner will face Frosinone or Juve Stabia in early September.
Sassuolo finished 11th in Serie A last season after going back up to the top flight. It was a steady campaign, with the odd eye-catching result, including that 2-0 win over AC Milan at the Mapei.
Cesena, meanwhile, missed out on the Serie B play-offs by a whisker and bowed out of last season’s Italian Cup on penalties against Pisa. So there is a bit of unfinished business there.
Both sides start their league seasons the following Sunday, with Sassuolo away to Atalanta and Cesena at home to Sampdoria. That schedule will surely shape the team sheets.
The odds are heavily in favour of the Neroverdi, which makes sense given the difference in divisions. The real question is how they go about it, and how many goals they can squeeze out of it.
Sassuolo: a fresh project and a pre-season that raises eyebrows 
Sassuolo lost the coach who got them promoted, Fabio Grosso, who left for Fiorentina this summer. Alberto Aquilani was brought in soon after to take over.
The former Roma and Liverpool midfielder has never managed in Italy’s top division. His previous job, at Catanzaro, went pretty well, though.
Pre-season has not exactly calmed the nerves. After an opening 4-1 win over Padova, the side went five matches without a victory, including defeats to Celta Vigo and Augsburg.
Recruitment has looked sensible enough. Benjamin Dominguez arrived from Bologna, Vasilije Adzic from Juventus and Scottish forward Kieron Bowie from Hellas Verona.
Andrea Pinamonti and Armand Lauriente are still there despite interest from elsewhere, which gives Aquilani two ready-made attacking outlets straight away.
The injury list is a long one, though. Ismael Kone suffered a serious injury with Canada during the World Cup, Fali Cande and Edoardo Pieragnolo are unavailable, and a knee issue could rule out Daniel Boloca.
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Cesena: four wins, one draw and not a goal conceded 
Cesena’s summer record can be summed up in one line: five matches, four wins, one draw, zero goals conceded. For a club in the middle of a rebuild, that is a serious statement.
Alessandro Diamanti took charge this summer after a spell coaching in Australia. The former Bologna and West Ham midfielder has inherited a squad that has been heavily reshaped.
That defensive base has been built against modest opposition, so caution is needed. Even so, it remains the clearest sign of the work done since July.
Up front, Cesena lean on Cristian Shpendi, who was the club’s top scorer last season with 12 goals in Serie B. The Albania international will be the main threat on Monday night.
New signing Antonio Fiori could line up alongside him in attack, in a section of the pitch where Diamanti has more options than he did last season.
The only real gap is in goal: Jonathan Klinsmann has not recovered from the injury he picked up against Palermo in April. That leaves Cesena without a key reference point against Serie A opposition.
Probable Sassuolo XI: Muric ; Missori, Walukiewicz, Idzes, Doig ; Matic, Thorstvedt ; Berardi, Adzic, Lauriente ; Pinamonti.
Probable Cesena XI: Siano ; Ciofi, Zaro, Mangraviti, Frabotta ; Bisoli, Castagnetti, Schirone ; Fiori, Shpendi, Caprini.
Football Prediction Sassuolo vs Cesena
Our prediction: under 2.5 goals
Cesena have not conceded a goal in five pre-season matches, thanks to a deep block and a clear focus on organisation from Diamanti since July.
At the other end, Sassuolo are still searching for a win in five straight games and are adjusting to a new coach, with Kone, Cande and Pieragnolo all missing. The attacking rhythm is not quite there yet.
Then there is the context: a cup tie played four days before a trip to Atalanta, which usually means rotation and a flatter pace. This should stay below the 2.5-goal line.
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