The reverse fixture back in September between Inter and Sassuolo was a delightful case of déjà vu for Nerazzurri fans, and a day to quickly forget for Neroverdi supporters. Last season, Inter thrashed the Serie A debutants 7-0 and did the exact same thing just this past fall at the Giuseppe Meazza.
However, last campaign, upon meeting up with their opponents, Inter were unable to cruise to all three points like in their first ever match-up. Although they did grind out a win, it was by no means smooth sailing as Sassuolo had clearly learned their lesson and hunkered down in an attempt to salvage a draw.
This time around, Roberto Mancini's men will certainly hope to again defeat Eusebio Di Francesco's side, and hopefully by more than one goal. Interestingly, though, only one point divide these two teams ahead of the match. Inter have only won one Serie A match so far this year and could have moved closer to a European football berth had they not been undone by a late goal against Torino.
Still, the Nerazzurri definitely like playing Sassuolo. In just their first three meetings, they have scored 15 without reply and are still the only team that the Neroverdi have yet to be able to find the back of the net against. Yet, Di Francesco's troops actually have the same record as their visitors since the start of the new year, with one win, two draws, and one loss, including a 2-1 reversal to Cagliari in their most recent fixture. As such, should they manage to win, they could actually jump several places up the table.
Indeed, so congested are things in the middle that if AC Milan, Udinese, Palermo, and Genoa all somehow lose their respective games, Sassuolo would be level on points with the Grifone and theoretically be just out of touching distance of a European football spot. Certainly, this is not something that they will really be thinking about as they prepare to welcome Inter this afternoon, but for calcio fans, it indeed shows how interesting things could look as the second half of the season picks up.
The same, then, can be said of Inter, who are currently battling it out in the Europa League. Currently tied with points with the Rossoneri but ahead on goal difference, Nerazzurri fans would definitely love to have the chance to be again featuring in Europe whilst their cross-town rivals are not as is the case this season. But first, they will have to hope to keep up their unbeaten streak against a team that has proven to be quite determined to make sure they keep on featuring in Serie A for yet another season.
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