Sassuolo v Inter: Ranocchia hopes turning point has come

Inter’s home defeat to Torino last week may be exactly what the team needed, according to defender Andrea Ranocchia.

Inter defender Andrea Ranocchia feels his side’s last-gasp defeat at Torino will serve as motivation for the rest of the season.

The Italian giants travel to Sassuolo on Sunday looking to bounce back from a setback at San Siro last weekend.

Inter controlled the match, but were unable to score before Emiliano Moretti nodded in from three yards for Torino from a 94th-minute corner.

The home loss robbed Inter of momentum after a four-match unbeaten run under new boss Roberto Mancini that showed signs of promise.

New signings Xherdan Shaqiri and Lukas Podolski have lifted the mood at Inter but defeat to Torino was a blow on a day when a win would have sent them seventh.

Inter now sit 10th – just one point and one place above a Sassuolo side who have drawn 10 of their 20 Serie A fixtures this season.

“We’re all really fired up now,” Ranocchia told Sky Sport Italia.

“A defeat like [the one against Torino] can do us good and inspire us all to give something extra.

“We need to focus on picking up points. Anything can happen in football and we can take some points off the teams ahead of us when we meet head-to-head.”

New Inter signing Marcelo Brozovic may feature for Mancini’s men.

The Croatia midfielder has signed a two-year loan with the option for a permanent deal after leaving Dinamo Zagreb.

Sassuolo have enjoyed a promising campaign to date, having won four of their last seven matches last term to secure survival.

It is only their inability to turn draws into wins that is stopping them from sitting in the top half of the table.

They have won just one league game since November, an excellent 2-1 win at Milan in January.

Simone Zaza – called up to the Italy squad last year after his impressive form – looms as Sassuolo’s biggest threat. He has seven goals in 15 Serie A games this season.

The two sides have met just three times, with Inter winning two of the previous fixtures 7-0.

Diego Milito scored twice in the first thrashing they handed out, in September 2013.

A closer clash at San Siro followed last term, which Inter edged 1-0, but they hammered Sassuolo again in September last year.

Mauro Icardi scored a hat-trick, while Pablo Daniel Osvaldo added two as the 10-man visitors were humiliated.