Parma vs Roma – News and Probable Lineups

In their pursuit of Champions League qualification, Roma is set to face Parma on Sunday evening as the race for the top four in Serie A heads toward its conclusion.

Taking full advantage of their competitors’ missteps last week, the Giallorossi find themselves very close to securing a spot at Europe’s elite level.

Match overview

Newly crowned Italian champions Inter de Milão have secured their place, with Napoli and AC Milan poised to join them, leaving Roma in a tussle with Juventus and Como for Serie A’s last Champions League position.

After both Juventus and Como drew last weekend, Roma responded with a commanding 4-0 victory over Fiorentina on Monday, moving them just one point away from the coveted top four.

Although key player Donyell Malen did not score, Roma displayed an offensive fluidity often linked with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who recently triumphed in a significant power struggle in the capital.

The exit of director Claudio Ranieri seems to have bolstered Gasperini’s influence in the coaching role as he seeks to replicate a decade’s worth of remarkable success achieved at Atalanta.

Despite having a relatively simple schedule ahead, the team faces a Derby della Capitale against Lazio, which adds pressure to ensure they don’t drop points this Sunday.

Still behind fourth-place Juventus – and only two points ahead of Como – they aim to maintain an extended scoring streak.

With Malen’s sharp finishing and intelligent link play, Roma has found the net in their last twelve league encounters, averaging 2.1 goals per match – only Inter has performed better in this timeframe.

However, heading to Emilia-Romagna, they remain highly unpredictable on away days, with eight wins and eight losses thus far, half of those defeats coming in their last six games away from home.

History favors the visitors, as Parma has lost all three of their encounters since returning to Serie A, by a staggering aggregate score of 8-1.

Once struggling against relegation when they suffered a 2-1 defeat in the earlier fixture last October, much has evolved since, and Carlos Cuesta’s side now appear to be comfortably “on the beach.”

Currently sitting in 12th position, the Emilian team recently guaranteed their top-flight status by claiming back-to-back victories without conceding a goal.

Having edged past Udinese and Pisa with 1-0 wins, they were present at Inter’s title celebrations last weekend, where a 2-0 defeat at San Siro halted their four-game unbeaten run.

At only 30 years of age, rookie coach Cuesta is having a notable first season at the senior level, as his squad has lost just one of their last five home matches.

Though they score less than one goal per match on average, Parma typically maintains a solid defense, but Roma will undoubtedly present a significant challenge this weekend.

Team News

Aside from Evan Ferguson, whose season was cut short by an ankle injury, Roma continues to be without Lorenzo Pellegrini, Bryan Zaragoza, and Artem Dovbyk.

Stephan El Shaarawy (adductor) and backup goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini (hip) have been training separately due to minor muscle issues but have not been excluded from Sunday’s lineup.

A standout since his mid-January arrival, with 11 goals in his first 15 Serie A outings, Malen will spearhead the attack for the visitors.

While Paulo Dybala is back in training, Matias Soule and Niccolo Pisilli are expected to support the Dutch forward, especially as Pisilli found the net against Fiorentina in their last game.

For Parma, Mateo Pellegrino is their key player, having netted eight league goals this season.

Cuesta generally opts for a 3-5-2 formation, pairing Pellegrino with Gabriel Strefezza, although French striker Nesta Elphege has scored in two of his last three matches.

The home side has nearly a full squad to choose from, with only Benjamin Cremaschi and long-term absence Matija Frigan sidelined.

Parma probable starting XI:

Suzuki; Circati, Troilo, Ndiaye; Delprato, Keita, Nicolussi Caviglia, Bernabe, Valeri; Strefezza, Pellegrino

Roma probable starting XI:

Unfold; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Celik, Cristante, Kone, Wesley; Soule, Pisilli; Malen

Despite Parma’s organized nature and ability to frustrate Italy’s top teams, Roma appears to be enjoying a strong rhythm and will be more driven than their mid-table opponents.

Gasperini now has several attacking options available, while Cuesta does not possess the same level of talent in the final third.