Roma's Unbeaten Run Faces a Sassuolo Side That Cannot Stop Conceding

Roma host Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday evening with form pointing firmly in one direction. Three wins and two draws from their last five Serie A matches. No defeats. Ten goals scored and only three conceded. This is a side that has found something.

The thing is, it is not just the results. It is how they are being built. Roma kept clean sheets in sixty per cent of those five matches, including a 4-0 dismantling of Lecce and a 2-0 win over Torino. They beat Atalanta 2-1 as well. These are not soft touches. Roma have competed when it has mattered and they have earned every point.

Sassuolo's Defensive Record Is a Problem

Listen, Sassuolo have shown they can score goals. Nine in five matches is decent. But they have conceded eight in that same sample and kept zero clean sheets. Every single one of their last five Serie A matches has seen both teams score. Zero per cent clean sheet rate. That is not a blip. That is a pattern.

Sassuolo lost to Monza 2-1 in September and they have been leaking goals in wins as well. They beat Juventus 3-2. They drew with Bologna 2-2 and with AC Milan 1-1. They win, they concede. They draw, they concede. The basics at the back are not being done. End of.

Roma's Defence Is Set Up to Punish This

Roma's defensive numbers in this window deserve real credit. Three goals against in five matches. A clean sheet against Como and Torino. They conceded two against Inter in a 2-2 draw but Inter are Inter. The attitude at the back has been right. The desire to hold a line and compete for every ball is there to see.

Sassuolo come here having conceded in every match this season in this sample. Roma have the desire and the standards to make that count. This should suit the home side completely.

Injury Picture

Roma have three players currently listed as out. One is a minor injury with a return date of 9 November, so essentially a match-to-match call. The other two have no confirmed return dates, which means there is some uncertainty at the back end of the squad. It is worth watching but it is not a crisis.

Sassuolo's situation is worse. They have a major injury absence not expected back until January 2027 and two further moderate injuries. One of those moderate absences had a return date of early October and one of mid-October. Whether those players are now available is unclear from what we have. What is clear is that Sassuolo have had more disruption than Roma going into this match.

The Verdict

Roma have the form, the defensive solidity, and the home advantage. Sassuolo cannot keep clean sheets and have been leaking goals against better sides than Roma in this window. The accountability in Roma's backline has been there. The desire to see matches out has been there.

Sassuolo will create chances because they always seem to. But Roma's clean sheet record in this run is too good to ignore. Back Roma to win and keep it tight. The home side should have too much.