After letting two points slip through their grasp at the weekend, Juventus will seek an immediate response when they visit mid-table Sassuolo on Tuesday.
Making for a frustrating start to 2026, both sides were held to a 1-1 draw by Serie A strugglers last time out.
Aiming to start a new year as they finished the last, resurgent Juventus sought their fifth straight win when welcoming Lecce to Turin on Saturday evening - but they ultimately came up short.
Following three consecutive league victories - plus another in Europe - Juve coach Luciano Spalletti was even open to discussing a Scudetto challenge, while their visitors from down south were merely fighting for survival.
However, the hosts conceded a goal against the run of play in first-half stoppage time, before Weston McKennie’s first Serie A strike of the season hauled them level just after the break.
Jonathan David - who had hit the woodwork with an early header - then clipped a weak penalty straight at Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone; finally, Kenan Yildiz struck the post and Lois Openda blazed over.
While Spalletti, whose initial contract expires at the end of this season, has led the Bianconeri’s recent revival - posting seven wins from eight to end 2025 - his talk of a title push appears to be wishful.
On Tuesday, his side will aim to avoid losing more ground to their top-four rivals, with several clubs still chasing Champions League places.
© Imago / IMAGO / Gribaudi/ImagePhoto
Recent history suggests Juventus will not have an easy ride, though, as Sassuolo have actually won both of the last two meetings in Reggio Emilia.
Before spending one season in Italy’s second tier, they memorably beat Juve 1-0 and then 4-2 in the space of six months, with current stars Domenico Berardi, Andrea Pinamonti and Armand Lauriente all getting on the scoresheet.
After bouncing straight back as Serie B champions, the newly promoted Neroverdi have impressed throughout their comeback campaign, even establishing themselves as outsiders for European qualification.
However, progress has recently been stalled by a pair of 1-1 draws against Emilian rivals: after picking up a commendable point in Bologna, Fabio Grosso’s men failed to retain a lead at the weekend.
Kristian Thorstvedt’s glancing header put them in front against Parma, but they soon conceded an equaliser; Josh Doig then clipped the post during an open second half, but Aro Muric also made several saves just to preserve one point.
That left Sassuolo 10th in the Serie A standings, though their sole victory since the November international break remains a 3-1 win over crisis club Fiorentina.
Sassuolo Serie A form:
L W D L D D
Juventus Serie A form:
W L W W W D
Juventus form (all competitions):
L W W W W D
© Imago / Marco Canoniero
Since arriving in Turin, Spalletti has sprung plenty of surprises - both in terms of setup and selection - so it remains to be seen whether Juventus make changes.
After his calamitous spot-kick against Lecce, David could make way for Openda, with last term’s top scorer Dusan Vlahovic still on the treatment table.
Juve are also missing injured centre-backs Daniele Rugani and Federico Gatti, but utility man Teun Koopmeiners offers an additional option in defence.
Woyo Coulibaly will miss out for Sassuolo: currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations, he was sent off before 10-man Mali beat Tunisia in the last 16.
Meanwhile, Italy winger Berardi is alongside Cristian Volpato, Yeferson Paz, Daniel Boloca and Filippo Romagna on the hosts’ injury list.
Juve youth graduate Tarik Muharemovic leads the Neroverdi’s defence, while Pinamonti spearheads their attack; however, all four of the latter’s league goals have been scored away from home.
Sassuolo possible starting lineup:
Muric; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Muharemovic, Cande; Thorstvedt, Matic, Kone; Fadera, Pinamonti, Lauriente
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly; McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram, Cambiaso; Concecicao, Yildiz; Openda
Having beaten Lazio and Atalanta - and drawn 2-2 with AC Milan - Sassuolo have already proven they can compete.
While their form has tailed off in recent weeks, Juve are improving - but the brittle Bianconeri still have obvious flaws.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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