Sassuolo hosts Cremonese on Sunday afternoon, January 25, 2026, at the Mapei Stadium in what promises to be a crucial basement battle. Both sides sit in the lower half of Serie A, with Sassuolo 11th on 23 points and Cremonese just below them in 12th. Fabio Grosso's side has hit a worrying slump with seven league games without a win, failing to score in their last three encounters. Davide Nicola's Cremonese arrives having drawn their last two matches, showing improved defensive resilience but lacking the cutting edge needed to climb the table.
Sassuolo's struggles have intensified in January with four consecutive defeats, all without finding the net. They lost 1-0 away to Napoli on Saturday, following a 2-0 defeat at Roma on January 10, a humiliating 3-0 home loss to Juventus on January 6, and could only manage a 1-1 draw with Parma on January 3. The lengthy absence of captain Domenico Berardi continues to hamper their attacking threat, while injuries to Kristian Thorstvedt, Edoardo Pieragnolo, and doubts over Cristian Volpato's availability further deplete Grosso's options. Andrea Pinamonti has carried the burden up front but remains isolated without sufficient support from midfield.
Cremonese has shown modest improvement but remains winless in January. A goalless draw with Hellas Verona on Monday extended their run without defeat to two games after they salvaged a 2-2 draw against Cagliari on January 8. Before that, they suffered a brutal 5-0 thrashing at Juventus on January 12 and lost 1-0 to Fiorentina on January 4. Manager Davide Nicola will be without striker Antonio Sanabria due to a calf injury, while midfielder Martin Payero remains doubtful with muscle fatigue and Giuseppe Pezzella serves a suspension. Despite their struggles, Cremonese has found some stability defensively in recent weeks, conceding just once in their last two outings.
Cremonese holds a psychological edge in this fixture, having remained unbeaten in their last three meetings with Sassuolo. The most recent encounter in August 2025 saw Cremonese triumph 3-2 in an entertaining affair. Over their 11 all-time meetings since 2006, Cremonese leads with five wins to Sassuolo's four, with two draws completing the record. Recent history suggests goals flow freely between these sides, with their last five matches producing 17 goals combined.
My model backs Both Teams to Score at 91/100 (1.91 decimal) with a 53.23% probability of this outcome. I predict a 2-1 victory for Sassuolo, with expected goals projections of 1.53 for the hosts and 1.08 for the visitors. The xG gap suggests Sassuolo will create better opportunities at home, but both sides have shown defensive vulnerabilities. Despite Sassuolo's recent scoring drought, their attacking numbers at the Mapei Stadium remain respectable, and Cremonese has conceded in eight of their last ten away fixtures across all competitions.
