Inter Milan vs Parma – News and Probable Lineups

As they look to secure their 21st Serie A title, Inter Milan are eager to celebrate in grand fashion with a match against Parma at San Siro this Sunday evening.

Even if Napoli and AC Milan manage victories, dominant Inter could clinch the Scudetto with another home win.

Match overview

With their status as champions all but confirmed, Inter have the opportunity to be crowned champions of Italian football this weekend, securing the top position with three matches still to play.

If they manage to defeat Parma—or if Napoli loses to Como and Milan is unable to beat Sassuolo—the title will be secure, allowing them to focus on achieving a rare domestic double.

While Cristian Chivu’s team is also set to face Lazio in the forthcoming Coppa Italia final, they must complete their mission of finishing first in Serie A first.

A surprising late collapse in their streak of success concluded last week as they drew 2-2 with Torino, having previously won four consecutive games, each with at least three goals scored.

Federico Dimarco provided assists for both goals before Torino came back to equalize, marking his 16th and 17th assists of the season—setting a Serie A record—but it was not sufficient for victory.

Inter’s dynamic wing-back has contributed to their tally of 80 goals in the league this season; only Barcelona and Bayern Munich have scored more across Europe’s top five leagues this year.

The Nerazzurri also possess an impressive home goal difference of +32, which is the best for the club at this point in any season since the late 1950s, highlighting their dominance at San Siro.

As they prepare for Sunday’s matchup, their most recent home defeat against Parma dates back to 2018; Dimarco was the only scorer for the Gialloblu that day, notching his first-ever Serie A goal.

Throughout their league encounters, Parma has only managed to defeat Inter in Milan once before—achieving a 3-1 win in May 1999—highlighting the challenge ahead of them.

Interestingly, Dimarco also scored in this season’s earlier fixture, but the Emilian team will be optimistic about better results this Sunday.

Having clinched their top-flight survival, Parma enters the match after winning their last two encounters without conceding, edging past both Udinese and Pisa by 1-0 margins.

In both of those victories, Nesta Elphege has come off the bench to secure the winning goal, helping his team distance themselves from any relegation worries—they might even achieve a top-half finish.

With just two defeats in their last 11 league matches, Carlos Cuesta’s squad has reinforced their reputation as a robust and cohesive unit.

Currently, Parma boasts the ninth-best defensive record in Serie A, rarely allowing multiple goals and achieving 12 clean sheets—however, Inter could present them with their most daunting challenge yet.

Team News

While Hakan Calhanoglu and Luis Henrique remain unavailable due to injuries, the hosts are expected to welcome back captain Lautaro Martinez, and Alessandro Bastoni may also be ready to return after recovering from an ankle issue.

Alongside Bastoni, Dimarco, Matteo Darmian, and Ange-Yoan Bonny all have a history with Parma, as does head coach Chivu, who began his senior managerial career with the Gialloblu last year.

Bonny will compete with Martinez and Pio Esposito for the chance to partner Marcus Thuram in attack. Thuram has returned to top form, contributing to a goal every 46 minutes in April.

After scoring against Torino, the French striker now has 50 goals for Inter; notably, he has found the net in all three of his previous Serie A meetings against Parma, his father Lilian’s former club.

Meanwhile, his less-heralded teammate Elphege hopes to earn a starting berth for the visitors, having been involved in one goal in each of his last three games—an assist against Napoli, followed by match-winners against Udinese and Pisa.

However, Cuesta typically pairs main striker Mateo Pellegrino with the agile Gabriel Strefezza in a 3-5-2 formation.

Parma has almost a full squad available, with only long-term absentee Matija Frigan and USA midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi sidelined by injury.

Inter Milan probable starting XI:

Sommer; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez

Parma probable starting XI:

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

Inter is set to kick off the celebrations by confirming their title as Serie A champions, as a limited Parma side is unlikely to stop them at San Siro.

Thanks to the league’s best attack, the Nerazzurri are likely to triumph on home soil before showcasing their hard-earned Scudetto.