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Antonio Conte’s side was pushed to the brink of elimination from the Champions League group stage after their 2-0 midweek home loss to Real Madrid.
Inter refocused on their bid for their first league title since 2010, ahead of next week’s European trip to Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Inter, fifth, five points behind leaders AC Milan, showed their deficiencies against Real La Liga champions at San Siro.
“We need to work to close the gap and get back on track,” Conte said.
Sassuolo are second, two points behind league leaders AC Milan, who have a chance to consolidate their home advantage against Fiorentina.
If Inter lose and the city’s rivals Milan win, Conte’s team will find themselves eight points behind first place.
Both Inter and Sassuolo have the best offense in Serie A this season, scoring 20 goals each in eight games, so it looks like a high-scoring game seems to be at stake.
Romelu Lukaku has scored seven of Inter’s goals, being Federico Caputo Sassuolo’s top scorer with five for the undefeated team of Emilia-Romagna.
AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss the game against Fiorentina with a muscle injury he suffered last time against Napoli.
The 39-year-old has scored 10 of Milan’s 19 goals this season, finding the net in all six games he has played.
But those of Stefano Pioli have shown that they can win without the Swedish star, who missed two games due to coronavirus.
Fiorentina are in 15th place with new coach Cesare Prandelli looking for their first win.
Sixth-placed Napoli, mourning the loss of club icon Diego Maradona, faces a tough test against third-placed Roma, who are three points behind Milan.
Gennaro Gattuso denied a break with his players, describing the heated exchange after their 3-1 loss to Milan last weekend as “an open dialogue”.
“All I said was that I wanted to see a little more courage and determination,” said the Napoli coach. “Sometimes you need to put your helmet on and get trapped.”
Juventus head to Benevento after sealing their place in the Champions League round of 16, but with just one away win in Serie A this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo, with eighth goals, will possibly seek to overtake top scorer Ibrahimovic in the Swede’s absence.
The Portuguese forward has scored 29 Serie A goals in 2020 and is on track to reach 30 league goals in a single calendar year for the ninth time in his career.
Further back, seventh-ranked Atalanta host Hellas Verona in the middle of the table, boosted by their 2-0 Champions League win over Liverpool at Anfield.
Verona’s last away win in Serie A was in January.
One to look at
Juventus forward Paulo Dybala scored a hat-trick in the Turin club’s only previous match in Benevento, a 4-2 win in the 2017-2018 season, which was the most prolific with 22 league goals.
But the Argentine has only played four league games this season, and only once played the 90 minutes as he has battled injuries and health issues this season.
“Dybala is coming out of a spell when he wasn’t playing and it takes a while to get back on his feet,” coach Andrea Pirlo said.
Key stats
7 – Roma’s undefeated league streak this season
5 – Inter points behind AC Milan
3 – Atalanta home games without winning
1 – Juventus away wins this season
Matches (all GMT times)
Saturday
Sassuolo v Inter Milan (1400), Benevento v Juventus (1700), Atalanta v Hellas Verona (1945)
Sunday
Lazio v Udinese (1130), Bologna v Crotone, AC Milan v Fiorentina (both 1400), Cagliari v Spezia (1700), Naples v AS Roma (1945)
Monday
Turin v Sampdoria (1700), Genoa v Parma (1945)
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