Coppa Italia
Sassuolo and Cesena face off in the Coppa Italia first round on August 17, 2026 at 19:30 UTC at MAPEI Stadium - Città del Tricolore in Reggio Emilia. With light rain expected, Sassuolo are managed by Alessandro Diamanti and Cesena by Alberto Aquilani.
Context and form
Played in the early stages of the cup, this match offers both teams the opportunity to begin their season with an official match. Sassuolo completed their last cup campaign on September 24, 2025 with a 3-0 victory. Cesena last took the field in a Coppa Italia match on December 18, 2024, finishing with a 6-1 victory. Sassuolo's home statistics stand out: the team has won 8 of their last 10 Coppa Italia matches at home and remained unbeaten in 8 of their last 10 home matches.
Head-to-head record
In the last five official matches between the two sides, Sassuolo earned 3 victories and Cesena 1, with one draw. Cesena averages 1.8 goals per match against Sassuolo, while Sassuolo average 1.2 goals against this opponent. The breakdown of the last eight meetings is as follows:
- 25.04.2025 - Cesena 0-2 Sassuolo (Serie B)
- 24.08.2024 - Sassuolo 2-1 Cesena (Serie B)
- 18.01.2017 - Sassuolo 1-2 Cesena (Coppa Italia)
- 10.05.2015 - Cesena 2-3 Sassuolo (Serie A)
- 20.12.2014 - Sassuolo 1-1 Cesena (Serie A)
- 30.12.2012 - Sassuolo 5-0 Cesena (Serie B)
- 27.08.2012 - Cesena 0-3 Sassuolo (Serie B)
- 16.03.2010 - Cesena 0-1 Sassuolo (Serie B)
Absences
Both squads have injury concerns. Cesena will be without two players due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a fractured cervical vertebra. On Sassuolo's side, four players are unavailable, sidelined by tibia-fibula fracture, anterior cruciate ligament injury, torn anterior cruciate ligament, and arthroscopy recovery.
Data-driven forecast
In Sassuolo's last 10 Coppa Italia matches, Armand Laurienté leads with an average xGOT of 0.92, while Cristian Shpendi tops Cesena's chart with 0.17. Head-to-head statistics reveal a trend: Sassuolo tends to find the goal before their opponent. In four of the last five meetings, Sassuolo scored first, mostly in the 45-60 minute window. Cesena's goals typically come between the 75-90 minute mark. Additionally, in four of Sassuolo's last five Coppa Italia matches, total goals fell below 3.5, suggesting a low-scoring encounter is possible.