Bucchi taking over from Di Francesco as Sassuolo coach

SASSUOLO, Italy (AP) Former Perugia coach Cristian Bucchi is taking over at Serie A club Sassuolo.

The announcement comes after Eusebio Di Francesco's move to Roma last week.

Bucchi led Perugia to a fourth-place finish in Serie B last month, after which the club was beaten by Benevento in the playoffs to reach the top division.

Sassuolo, based near Modena, is coming off a 12th-place finish in Serie A.

The 40-year-old Bucchi was a striker during a long career he spent mainly in Serie B.

Bucchi also coached Pescara to a last-place finish in Serie A in 2013. His other coaching experience has come in the third division with Gubbio, Torres and Maceratese.