Serie A Preview: Super SPAL Face Sublime Sassuolo in Top-Table Clash

Serie A Preview: Super SPAL Face Sublime Sassuolo in Top-Table Clash

SPAL vs Sassuolo

The quality of football played this year has been a unique experience for the fans that love and adore the Beautiful Game. A good number of top European teams exhibited what top-quality football is like. A couple of unforgettable upsets in the World Cup also showed us the diminishing talent gap between the traditional powerhouses and the minnows in world football.

The Serie A has also been generous in giving us plenty of surprising storylines to talk about. One of the best football players in Cristiano Ronaldo is now donning a Juventus shirt, making the Turin club all the more daunting to face. Gonzalo Higuain now dons Milan red, Roma are struggling to start their season, and Napoli are chugging along despite Maurizio Sarri’s absence.

However, the most interesting storylines are not only found in the biggest teams of Italian football. Sassuolo and SPAL have been tearing up the start of the Italian top flight, and they have defied numerous Serie A 2018 odds set against them as they currently sit at the top of the table.

This is a battle between two overachievers. Of course, the supporters know that the season is still long, but they will definitely savour the opportunity of competing for Champions League spots.

Talking Points

I believe that the performances of the two clubs last season is vital in order for us to understand how big of a leap this has been for the supporters of both clubs.

Sassuolo have been a mediocre team ever since they reached the Serie A in 2013 under Eusebio Di Francesco. They barely evaded relegation in their debut season at the top flight and have since been satisfied sitting in mid-table. While their 2015/16 season saw them finish sixth, the fans knew that that was a one-off.

However, Roberto De Zerbi has started this season with a great bang. One of the biggest coups he made in the summer transfer window was acquiring Kevin-Prince Boateng from Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer. The centre-forward has been integral in De Zerbi’s plans, even scoring the winner in I Neroverdi‘s triumph over Empoli.

Of course, they’re still far from the perfect team. After all, Cristiano Ronaldo used them as a whetstone to create his first set of Serie A 2018 highlights. However, Manuel Locatelli, Pol Lirola, and Domenico Berardi have been rather prolific under De Zerbi’s 4-3-3.

SPAL had a proud history of being in the Serie A in the 50’s and 60’s but were relegated to obscurity. They then had to wait 49 long years before they were able to return to the place they believe they belong.

They almost had to go back down the moment they finally reached the pinnacle. They managed to get important points in their important games late in the season to barely keep themselves out of the relegation zone.

Since then, Leonardo Semplici made purchases in the summer window, the biggest of those being the acquisition of Jasmin Kutic and Alberto Paloschi from Atalanta for a total of €8.80 million. Both men have performed well since then, with Kurtic etching out a space for himself in the starting XI.

While it is worrying that they are conceding goals, their wins against Bologna, Parma and Atalanta place the Gli Spallini right smack in Euro competition. They are quickly establishing themselves as the overachievers of the season.

However, they need to defend well against a free-scoring Sassuolo side if they want to keep their spot. Their crushing loss to Fiorentina is not doing their morale any favours, however.

History

Given that Sassuolo didn’t make the Serie A until recently, there aren’t many head-to-head games between the two in order for us to make a good comparison.

Moreover, the few games they did play were tightly contested affairs. Sassuolo won their second Lega Pro 2 match and their first top-flight clash. The other two matches were 1-1 draws.

The recent form of these two clubs also makes it tough for even the most veteran punters to make a precise bet.

Sure, SPAL lost 3-0 to Fiorentina, but away teams aren’t expected to perform well. Moreover, they are enjoying a four-game winning streak on league games played at home. One of those victories was a 3-1 drubbing of Sampdoria.

Sassuolo look like the tough cookie they are, with their 2-1 loss to Juventus being a respectable and expected result. However, their away form in league games has been shoddy at best. They managed to win against Inter in their last away game of the 2017/18 season, but they also suffered an embarrassing loss to Crotone and a frustrating draw to Cagliari.

Betting Tip

Over 2.50 Goals @ 2.14

The games the two clubs have played were far from eventful. However, that doesn’t mean that this term would be the same thing for both of them.

I see both teams aggressively trying to score. SPAL will be running with a counter-based approach while Sassuolo will be going for possession. I expect at least a goal from each side, with either Boateng or Andrea Petagna coming up with the winner.

I expect three goals from this match. It’s the least these two impressive overachievers can give us.

There are also other interesting bets to make for this game, so don’t forget to check SBOBET for the latest odds.

Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.

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