Struggling for results in Serie A, Sassuolo and Fiorentina face off at Mapei Stadium on Monday in a meeting of two out-of-form sides.

Alberto Aquilani's men have collected one point from their last five matches ahead of the matchday 10 encounter with the Tuscan club, who have earned just two from the last available 15.

Match preview

Sassuolo's cavalier approach may have provided entertainment while they were securing encouraging results earlier in the campaign, but it always looked unsustainable.

The Neroverdi collected seven points from their opening four matches, including a 2-2 draw in their regional tussle with Bologna before beating Juventus 3-2 in front of their supporters.

However, they have not enjoyed the rub of the green since, losing four of their last five matches, although they did secure a 1-1 draw against Milan immediately after the September-October international break.

The Emilia-Romagna outfit have continued to score, netting twice in defeats to Frosinone and Lazio, but Aquilani's men were undermined by defensive shortcomings in both games, losing 4-2 to the promoted side and suffering a 6-2 beatdown against the league-leading capital club.

Those results leave the Neroverdi three points clear of the relegation zone ahead of their 10th-round contest with the Viola, who sit two places below them in the Serie A table.

Paolo Vanoli has endured a strange few months, having been replaced by Fabio Grosso last month, around 90 days after the 2006 World Cup winner was appointed in his place for the season.

While Vanoli helped steer the Viola to safety in the 2025-26 campaign, results since his return have been mixed.

The manager admittedly secured back-to-back league and cup victories over Venezia and Pisa respectively, before earning a 1-1 draw with Napoli ahead of the hiatus.

However, the pause has adversely affected the Tuscan outfit, who have lost three of their subsequent four matches, only ending their losing sequence by holding Atalanta BC to a draw on Thursday night.

The Violets will hope that the 2-2 draw in Florence provides the fillip needed by the league's 17th-placed side, who could slip into the bottom three if they lose and either Parma or Udinese win.

Sassuolo Serie A form:

Fiorentina Serie A form:

Fiorentina form (all competitions):

Team News

Kristian Thorstvedt received a straight red card against Lazio, ruling the Norwegian midfielder out of Monday's clash.

Missing through injury for the hosts are Fedde Leysen (ACL), Ismael Kone (broken leg), Yeferson Paz (knee) and Daniel Boloca.

The home side's prospects will depend on three-goal Vasilije Adzic adding to his league tally or Sebastiano Esposito and Domenico Berardi scoring on Monday to draw level with the Neroverdi's leading marksman.

Fiorentina will assess Luca Ranieri's leg injury before the penultimate fixture of the round, while Arthur Atta (strain), Fabiano Parisi (knee), Marin Pongracic (muscle) and Riccardo Sottil (back) are sidelined.

Franco Mastantuono, Alex Jimenez and Mateo Pellegrino have accounted for seven of the Viola's 11 goals this term, leaving much resting on Mastantuono and Pellegrino to deliver in the attacking third.

Sassuolo possible starting lineup:

Turati; Van der Brempt, Cande, Caleta-Car, Obrador; Adzic, Matic, Bakola; Berardi, Esposito, Lauriente

Fiorentina possible starting lineup:

De Gea; Jimenez, Viery, Dragusin, Mario; Ndour, Fagioli, Brescianini; Mastantuono, Pellegrino, Njie

We say: Sassuolo 2-2 Fiorentina

Sassuolo have continued to find the net despite their deteriorating results, but conceding 10 goals across defeats to Frosinone and Lazio makes backing the hosts difficult.

Fiorentina should exploit those defensive shortcomings, although their own unconvincing form suggests that Monday's encounter could end in another high-scoring draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.