Sassuolo vs Cesena — Tips & Analysis

Sassuolo -1: The gap in class is what this pick rests on. Sassuolo spent last season in Serie A, playing Milan, Juventus, Fiorentina, Bologna and Torino. Cesena were a division below, and they were poor on the road. They scored 2 goals in 7 away games last season and won none of them. They have also lost by 2 or more goals in 6 of their last 16 games. Sassuolo were strong at home, winning 5 of their 7 home games last season. They scored almost 2 goals a game there and let in a goal a game, and one of those wins was 2-0 against AC Milan. Recent history backs them too. Sassuolo have won three of the last five meetings with Cesena, and the last two finished 2-0 and 2-1. Both teams arrive cold, Sassuolo after 85 days without a game and Cesena after 101. That suits the better squad, who only need one clean spell to take control. A 2-0 home win is the read, a goal before the break and one after it. The worry is that Cesena games often die out. Three of their last ten finished 0-0 and they tied 6 of their 16, so a 1-0 grind would leave us short. Sassuolo also won by 2 or more only twice in their last 14, though that was against Serie A sides. We still back Sassuolo to win this by a couple of goals.