Round 30: Juventus vs. Sassuolo match preview

SASSUOLO, ITALY - JANUARY 6: Manuel Locatelli of Juventus during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo Calcio and Juventus FC at Mapei Stadium Citta del Tricolore on January 6, 2026 in Sassuolo, Italy. (Photo by Daniele Badolato - Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images) | Juventus FC via Getty Images It is the time in the schedule in which I can roll out the line I usually do this time of the year: Everybody, we are down to the amount of fixtures that we can count with just our two fingers and nothing more is needed. And just like last season, unfortunately, Juventus are in a position in which they are needing help to achieve the one seasonal goal that is actually possible — finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League.

Juve got a little bit of help last weekend. Not as much as we were all hoping for, but Como beating Roma on Sunday did, at the very least, knock one team down a peg when it comes to the teams who are still thinking a fourth-place finish is possible. Juventus entered the weekend in sixth, they jumped into fourth, but ended in fifth because Como — yes, the plucky underdogs who have one of the wealthiest ownership groups in the sport — are now sitting in the final spot to qualify for the Champions League.

So, my friends, with nine games to go, Juventus are still in need of help. As we hope that Como’s next opponent — which is … checks notes … ah, crap it’s 19th-place Pisa — provides a little bit of help, we do know that Juventus can do as they did seven days earlier and jump into fourth place for at least a few hours on Saturday night going into Sunday. The catch is that it’s a Sassuolo team that Juve beat up on back in January but has also been a historically annoying-as-hell kind of provincial opponent who will always be looked at as a potential speed bump in the race for fourth place.

Saturday night in Turin is the final game before an international break that is massively important for anybody who has been paying attention to the World Cup qualifying cycle. But before that can happen, Luciano Spalletti’s squad has the chance to win their third straight game going into said internatinal break. Which, honestly, is a nice thing to write about considering how the month of February went.