Parma vs Udinese – News and Probable Lineups

Udinese are at risk of entering the Serie A relegation zone as they head to Stadio Ennio Tardini to take on second-from-bottom Parma in this meeting of round nine on Wednesday.

Since taking over from Carlos Cuesta last month, Alberto Gilardino has faced three straight defeats and is eager to get a result against Kosta Runjaic, whose job at Udinese is also in jeopardy as Le Zebrette attempt to stop a streak of six consecutive losses.

Match overview

Just when it seemed Parma might go a full 270 minutes without finding the back of the net under Gilardino, Simone Lontani fortuitously scored against joint-leaders Lazio, with his cross inadvertently hitting the post and going in.

The goal marked the Emilians’ fifth in the league this season, the lowest tally in the division after eight games, while the hosts in 19th place have conceded 15 goals at the other end.

If Gilardino seeks any silver lining from the 2-1 defeat in the capital, it might be the notable first-half performance at the Olimpico, where they managed to hold off the Biancocelesti until conceding two goals within eight minutes before the hour mark, effectively sealing their fate.

Hoping to find motivation from that loss, the former striker will aim to rally his dispirited squad for Wednesday’s fixture as the Crusaders look to escape the relegation area with a decisive result.

A win for the team in 19th place could lift them out of the drop zone, but this hinges on Fiorentina not taking points against Atalanta in Florence.

Facing a struggling Runjaic, who may be nearing the end of his time at Udine, could come at an ideal moment for the Emilians as they strive to hand the Little Zebras their seventh straight defeat.

At the season’s inception, when Udinese remained unbeaten in their first four matches across all competitions—claiming two Cup victories and gathering four points from six in Serie A—few could have anticipated their current struggles.

Unfortunately for them, Le Zebrette have since experienced six consecutive defeats and have failed to score in three of those encounters, including the last two, which resulted in 3-0 and 2-0 losses at home to Lecce and Milan respectively.

Those defeats have underscored their struggles in front of goal, having scored in all six of their initial matches across competitions, which included a draw with Como and a high-scoring 5-3 defeat against defending champions Inter de Milão.

However, Runjaic’s side has not managed to find the net in three of their last four outings, resulting in four successive losses that leave them teetering on the brink of slipping into the relegation zone.

Competing in Serie A for 32 years, another setback in Emilia-Romagna could compel Gino Pozzo to take decisive steps concerning the management position at the club.

Team News

Nesta Elphege (illness), Pontus Almqvist (calf) and Hans Nicolussi Caviglia (thigh) are sidelined for Parma on Wednesday; Gilardino is set to make a late call on Lautaro Valenti, who is recovering from a mid-September injury.

Parma are struggling as the league’s least prolific scorers, with only three players managing to score for the Emilians: David Romero and Lontani with two goals each, and the injured Almqvist, who has scored once.

In contrast, Udinese are in a better position, with six different players finding the net for the Little Zebras in Serie A, though only Jurgen Ekkelenkamp has scored more than twice, netting three.

Hassane Kamara is the only other player with multiple goals in the squad, a disappointing evolution considering that Keinan Davis netted 10 and Nicolo Zaniolo, Arthur Atta, and Ekkelenkamp collectively scored 15 last season.

However, Davis has yet to add to his Coppa Italia goal from August, Zaniolo has made just four appearances across all competitions, and Atta has moved to Fiorentina.

On the injury front, Alessandro Zanoli and Oumar Solet are uncertain due to muscular issues, while David Alaba (calf), Vakoun Bayo (thigh), and Idrissa Guey (ankle) are definitely out.

Parma probable starting XI:

Crows; Diego Carlos, Troilo, Drobnic; Delprato, Sierro, Keita, Valeri; Toure, Lontani; Romero

Udinese probable starting XI:

Okoye; Abankwah, Kabasele, Ebosse; Vojvoda, Karlstrom, Piotrowski, Kamara; Ekkelenkamp, ​​Chakvetadze; Davis

Despite their second-half collapse against Lazio being disheartening, Parma’s decent first 45 minutes offered more hope than what Udinese have demonstrated in recent times.

Thus, the home advantage could prove crucial as the Emilians aim to inflict a seventh consecutive defeat on the Little Zebras and possibly signify the end of Runjaic’s time in charge.