Our prediction for this Serie A match:
Sassuolo and Lazio face each other in a highly-anticipated game at Mapei Stadium – Citta del Tricolore. The Neroverdi are eyeing a place in the Europa Conference League, and we are positive that they will go all guns blazing at the capital club. Sassuolo proved their worth in a 3-1 win over Parma, and they are surely capable of beating Lazio, who have already booked their place in the Europa League.
Magnanelli has been struggling with injury of late, but there are no suspended players in the home team. The Biancocelesti are low on confidence following a 2-0 loss to Roma in the Derby della Capitale, which is yet another reason why home win should be considered. Defender Francesco Acerbi is banned for the visitors, while Correa and Musacchio are sidelined with injuries. Fit-again midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic should keep his place in the starting XI.
Highlighted Player (Francesco Magnanelli):
Francesco Magnanelli is a Sassuolo midfielder, who was born on 12 November, 1984. His main position is defensive midfield, but he plays as a central midfielder as well. Magnanelli began his senior career at Gubbio and he played for the club in lower leagues from 2000 to 2002.
He was part of Chievo during the 2002/2003 season, but he did not see any game action during his spelt with the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi outfit. The Italian footballer joined Fiorentina in 2003 and he moved to Sangiovannesse one year later. After making seven league appearances for the club, Francesco Magnanelli made probably the best decision of his career when he signed a contract with Sassuolo in June 2015.
He has been playing for the Neroverdi on regular basis and he scored one goal in 34 appearances for the club in the 2015/2016 Serie A campaign. His contract with Sassuolo expires on 30 June, 2017.
Highlighted Team (Lazio):
Lazio Roma are an Italian football club based in Rome. Lazio were founded in 1900 and they compete in the Serie A. The Biancocelesti (The White and Sky Blues) have won two Serie A trophies (1973/1974, 1999/2000), while lifting six Coppa Italia titles.
The capital club play their home games at Stadio Olimpico and Roma are regarded as Lazio’s main rivals.
The two teams face each other in the Derby della Capitale and it is considered the fiercest inter-city derby in Italy. Lazio won UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999, with the team beating Mallorca in the title game. The same year they managed to clinch the UEFA Super Cup trophy as they outplayed English giants Manchester United at Stade Louis II, Monaco.
The likes of Pavel Nedved, Giuseppe Favalli, Juan Sebastian Veron, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Roberto Mancini, Giuseppe Signori, Miroslav Klose and Simone Inzaghi are notable footballers who played for Lazio in the past.