Sassuolo v Lazio: Gattuso's leaders chase a fifth straight away win

Lazio open Serie A's ninth round at Sassuolo on Tuesday at 18:30, level with Inter on 22 points and unbeaten after eight games. A win at the Mapei Stadium would put Gennaro Gattuso's side top on their own at least until Inter visit Venezia on Wednesday, and it would be a fifth consecutive away victory, something Gazzetta dello Sport says no Lazio coach has managed at the start of a season.

Perfect on the road

Lazio's away record in our table reads four played, four won, eight goals scored and one conceded, the best in the league. Gazzetta lists the wins at Bologna, Udinese, Venezia and Juventus, the last of them 3-0 in Turin. Overall, Gattuso's side have conceded five goals in eight games, the fewest in Serie A, and their only dropped points came in a 2-2 home draw with Milan after leading 2-0 at half-time. Saturday's 2-1 win over Parma was their fourth league win in a row.

Alberto Aquilani's Sassuolo sit 14th on eight points and, according to Sky Sport Italia, have not won in four rounds; ANSA counts one point from that run, which ended with a 2-0 defeat at Como on Saturday. Home is different: Sassuolo are unbeaten in three matches at the Mapei (two wins, one draw), and ANSA recalls they have already held Milan and beaten Juventus this season.

Team news

Sky Sport Italia expects one change to the Lazio side that beat Parma: Portuguese defender Diogo Leite would make his first start for the club, with Lazio's Josip Sutalo or Danilho Doekhi beside him. The striker Lazio signed from Sassuolo in the summer is still recovering from a fever and is expected on the bench at best. Davide Frattesi, another former Sassuolo player, is in Sky Sport Italia's projected midfield, though Sky says Fisayo Dele-Bashiru could rest him or Kenneth Taylor. Corriere dello Sport counts 35 touches in the opposition box for Frattesi this season, second in Serie A behind Como's Nico Paz (40).

Sassuolo are expected to line up in a 4-3-3 with Domenico Berardi on the right and Sebastiano Esposito and Armand Laurienté back in the starting front three after coming off the bench at Como. Midfielder Kristian Thorstvedt returns, with a doubt between Luca Lipani and Nemanja Matic.

Corriere dello Sport expects around 10,000 Lazio fans in Reggio Emilia, while ANSA says the Olimpico stays largely empty as supporters protest against Lazio president Claudio Lotito. Gattuso has played down title talk, saying after the Parma win that "up there, we have little to do with it". Luca Zufferli referees. Roma host Cagliari and Torino host Como at 20:45 on the same night.