Parma will be hoping to snatch more points from AC Milan tomorrow evening, having frustrated the Rossoneri in the reverse fixture.
After a rough run of results, the Gialloblu have seemingly found a bit of a stride with two consecutive wins, beating Bologna and Hellas Verona. There is some breathing room with regard to the relegation zone, as such, which could benefit them against Milan.
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Massimiliano Allegri made it clear that a very good game will be needed from the Rossoneri due to the above, not to mention the reverse fixture. Indeed, despite having a 2-0 lead, they only came away with one point (which they won’t afford tomorrow).
Opposition insight on Parma
➤ Manager: Carlos Cuesta
➤ Form (all comps): D-L-L-W-W (most recent)
➤ Top scorer (Serie A): Mateo Pellegrino – 7
➤ Most assists (Serie A): Sascha Britschgi – 2
➤ Injuries & suspensions: Circati, Frigan, Suzuki, Ndiaye, and Almqvist.
All things considered, it has been a pretty decent season for Parma. With 29 points, they are in 12th place and thus quite a long way from the relegation zone, which is eight points down. This has put them in a very comfortable position for the season finale.
The discussion could have been very different just two games ago, though, as Parma are coming off two consecutive wins and thus broke loose from the immediate danger. The fact that it was two stoppage-goals winners as well (vs. Bologna and Hellas Verona) has surely boosted the confidence.
Carlos Cuesta, who used to be an assistant of Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, has thus done a decent job in his first season as a head coach. The reverse fixture was further proof of that as Parma came from two goals behind to draw 2-2 as said, starting the second half with commendable aggressiveness.
It helps when you have exciting young players like Adrian Bernabe (3 goals and 2 assists) and Mateo Pellegrini (7 goals and 1 assist). That often ends up being the saving grace for teams who are predicted to battle in the bottom; if you can get a few players going, that can mean a whole lot.
Interestingly, while Cuesta was initially expected to implement a possession model at Parma, it seems he has adapted a little to suit the club’s immediate needs. In fact, they have one of the lowest average possession percentages in Serie A with 44.8%, clearly comfortable with a lurking role too.
The bad news for Parma is that Alessandro Circati, who has started every game he has been available for this season, is suspended due to the yellow card accumulation. Mariano Troilo will be his replacement and although he’s not terrible, he got sent off in his last game.
Another player that will miss the game is the starting goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, who had been linked with Milan before Mike Maignan’s renewal. I see him as a rather mistake-prone keeper, even if he’s capable of making some good saves too, so it’s not a huge blow for the Gialloblu.
Predicted Parma XI (5-3-2): Corvi; Britschgi, Delprato, Troilo, Valenti, Valeri; Bernabe, Nicolussi Caviglia, Keita; Strefezza, Pellegrino.
Predicted Parma bench: Rinaldi, Casentini, Drobnic, F. Carboni, Ordonez, Cremaschi, Estevez, Ondrejka, Oristanio, Sorensen, Elphege, Mikolajewski.
