Preview: Genoa vs Sassuolo - prediction, team news, lineups

Hoping to distance themselves from the Serie A relegation zone, Genoa will welcome Sassuolo to Stadio Communale Luigi Ferraris on Sunday.

Il Grifone are looking to bounce back after consecutive defeats, while I Neroverdi are aiming to build on their victory last time out.

Match preview

Daniele De Rossi replaced Patrick Vieira as Genoa boss back in November, after the Arsenal legend had the club stuck at the bottom the table having lost six and drawn three of his nine games in charge.

Five months on, Il Grifone are now 14th in the top flight, though their total of 33 points has the team looking over their shoulder given they sit just six points clear of 18th-placed Lecce.

The more pessimistic amongst the Genoa faithful would point out that De Rossi's side come into this weekend's clash having lost three of their last five outings, including back-to-back defeats most recently - 2-0 against Udinese on March 20, and 2-0 on the road against Juventus on Monday.

However, given that two of those beatings were at the hands of clubs in the top five (including another 2-0 downing against league leaders Inter Milan in late February), as well as the fact that the Red and Blues collected two wins in that stretch, fans could have reason for optimism.

Adding to that hopeful feeling is the hosts' home record, which features four wins from their last six clashes at the Marassi, most recently besting De Rossi's former club Roma 2-1 prior to their loss against Udinese.

Meanwhile, Fabio Grosso's Sassuolo are no longer realistically in the race for European football, but given that 2025-26 is their first campaign back in the top flight, it would be fair to say that the club have performed admirably.

Last Saturday, I Neroverdi followed up their 1-1 draw with Juventus with a 2-1 victory over Cagliari, coming from behind thanks to second-half goals from Ulisses Garcia and Andrea Pinamonti.

That win has Grosso's side 10th in the table with 42 points to their name, a total that puts the promoted club 15 behind sixth-placed Roma with only seven games to play.

Regardless, Sassuolo will be keen to finish the season in strong fashion, but considering that the visitors have lost four, drawn three and won just two of their last nine away games, they will need to defy their travelling record to come out on top on Sunday.

To make matters worse, I Neroverdi have yet to keep a clean sheet on the road in 2026 - last doing so in a 3-0 win against Atalanta in early November - and it remains to be seen whether they can keep a motivated Genoa side at bay this weekend.

Genoa Serie A form:

Sassuolo Serie A form:

Team News

Genoa will be without both right wing-back option Brooke Norton-Cuffy and West Ham United-loanee left winger Maxwell Cornet this weekend, due to respective hamstring and muscle injuries.

In their absence, Mikael Egill Ellertsson and Aaron Martin could start out wide for the hosts, supporting Junior Messias, Vitinha and Lorenzo Colombo up top.

Elsewhere, midfielder Jean Onana is sidelined with a muscular issue of his own, though Morten Frendrup and Ruslan Malinovsky should be on hand to patrol the centre of the park.

As for Sassuolo, they are missing centre-back Filippo Romagna after he picked up a knee injury earlier this week, while left-back Edoardo Pieragnolo and centre-half Fali Cande, are both doubts while they deal with muscle injuries.

If neither are available, then Ulisses Garcia could operate on the left of a back four featuring Jay Idzes, Tarik Muharemovic and Sebastian Walukiewicz.

Further forward, midfielder Daniel Boloca is working his way back from a meniscus tear that could keep him out until next month, but former Chelsea and Manchester United star Nemanja Matic will be ready to start alongside Kristian Thorstvedt in the meantime.

Genoa possible starting lineup:

Billow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez; Ellertsson, Frendrup, Malinovsky, Martin; Messias, Vitinha; Colombo

Sassuolo possible starting lineup:

Muric; Walukiewicz, Muharemovic, Idzes, Garcia; Berardi, Thorstvedt, Matic, Lauriente; Pinamonti, Volpato

We say: Genoa 2-1 Sassuolo

Genoa may have lost three of their last five games overall, but with four wins from their last six at home, the hosts will be cautiously optimistic this weekend.

Sassuolo are in a more comfortable league position than their opponents, but considering that they are now only playing for position, they will need to muster their best to withstand a Genoa side motivated by the potential threat of relegation.

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