Sassuolo Vs AS Roma: Jay Idzes Cs. Ready To Robb The Capital Wolf Who Lost Its Tajs

Jay Idzes, a rock in the heart of the Sassuolo defense (photo: x @SassuoloUS)

JAKARTA - AS Roma is in the midst of a difficult period. After swallowing two consecutive defeats in the past week, Gian Piero Gasperini's troops will try to get up when they travel to Sassuolo's headquarters at Mapei Stadium on Sunday night, October 26 in the continuation of Serie A 2025/2026.

However, the opponents faced were not easy to beat. Sassuolo who has just returned to Serie A this season performed surprisingly with a disciplined and solid game under Fabio Grosso.

Roma performed outstanding at the start of the season, but the positive trend is now starting to decline drastically. After failing to penetrate Lille's defense in a strange defeat where three of their penalties were saved, Roma fell 1-2 again from Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League last Thursday.

Two quick goals from the visitors put Roma under pressure, and only Paulo Dybala's penalty was able to reduce defeat. After the match, Gasperini did not cover up his disappointment with the front line which he judged to be blunt and lost confidence.

In Serie A, Roma have also just lost 0-1 to Inter Milan at home. These results lowered their position to fifth in the standings, making the ambition to enter the top four even more difficult.

Even so, Roma still have an advantage in the defense. With four clean sheets from seven matches and only three conceded without a single dead ball The Giallorossi still holds the best defensive record in Serie A this season. They are also listed as the team with the best away record in Europe's top five leagues throughout 2025, winning 10 wins from 13 matches outside the home.

Since promotion to Serie A last season, Sassuolo has adapted very well. Fabio Grosso's team has collected seven points from the last three matches and has now penetrated the middle of the standings.

After a consecutive win over Torino and Cagliari, Sassuolo held a 0-0 draw against Lecce last week. Two games without conceding became evidence of a major increase in the back line of Neeroverdi.

The coach, Fabio Grosso, is known for his solid tactics and balance between lines to make Sassuolo look mature and disciplined. On the front lines, the combination of Armand Lauriente, Andrea Pinamonti, and Domenico Berardi became the main focus. This trio has contributed several important goals and is ready to test the strength of Roma's defense.

Roma is still hit by problems in the attacking sector. Gasperini is said to have started to lose confidence in its main striker. Artem Dovbyk appeared disappointing and was replaced in the last game, while Evan Ferguson had not scored at club level for nearly a full year.

The problem also came from midfield, where Manu Kone suffered an injury against Viktoria Plzen and was likely absent with full-back Angelino.

In the host camp, Jay Idzes cs. is also not free from problems. Edoardo Pieragnolo, Yeferson Paz, Daniel Boloca, and Tarik Muharemovic are still sidelined due to injury. However, the main line remains solid with Berardi, Pinamonti, and Lauriente upfront, as well as Matic and Vranckx in midfield.

This meeting is predicted to be tight. Both teams have strong defenses and declining goal productivity in recent weeks. Roma excels in away experiences and records, but Sassuolo has been at their best since promotion.

Paulo Dybala, who has scored eight goals against Sassuolo throughout his career including a hat-trick with Juventus in 2017 will again be Roma's main hope of breaking the deadlock. However, Sassuolo is believed to be able to provide strong resistance at home.

Roma may be superior in quality, but shaky self-confidence and declining performance make it difficult for them to win. Sassuolo can steal a valuable point and prolong the suffering of the Capital Wolf.

Sassuolo (4-3-3): Duric; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Romagna, Doig; Kone, Matic, Vranckx; Berardi, Pinamonti, Lauriente

AS Roma (3-4-2-1):Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka; Wesley, Cristante, El Aynaoui, Tsimikas; Soule, Pellegrini; Dovbyk