Parma vs Cagliari – News and Probable Lineups

Following a notable victory at San Siro last week, Parma, who are currently in good form, will host Cagliari on Friday evening at Stadio Tardini.

Both teams have managed to secure three wins in their last six league fixtures, keeping hopes alive for maintaining their important Serie A status, although neither team can consider themselves safe just yet.

Match overview

After achieving two victories against opponents who played with ten men and had been struggling, Parma escalated their success last Sunday by defeating a title challenger.

After narrow wins over Bologna and Hellas Verona, Parma faced AC Milan, who hadn’t lost a league match since August.

However, a late goal from Mariano Troilo – which was initially ruled out but later confirmed by VAR – shocked the crowd at San Siro and allowed Parma to move eight points clear of the relegation zone.

The Emilian side has now achieved three consecutive top-flight victories for the first time since 2014, with coach Carlos Cuesta guiding them towards a potential escape from relegation.

Their away performances have been critical, with Cuesta’s team gathering more points away from home than at Tardini.

Currently sitting in 12th position, just above their next opponents, Parma aims to achieve back-to-back home victories for the first time in six years.

Having achieved a 2-0 win in the earlier match of this season, Cagliari has emerged victorious in all three encounters with Parma since the latter’s promotion to Italy’s top division in 2024.

Despite this, the Sardinian team heads to Emilia-Romagna facing a concerning goal drought, having not scored in their last three matches.

After a rare streak of three consecutive wins, they suffered back-to-back losses to Roma and Lecce, which disrupted their momentum before finishing last week with a 0-0 draw against Lazio.

Yerry Mina received a red card for two yellow card offenses at the conclusion of a hard-fought deadlock in Sardinia, raising concerns for young coach Fabio Pisacane regarding his team’s lack of attacking options.

Nonetheless, Cagliari is currently sitting in 13th place in the league standings and is well-positioned to secure their fourth consecutive season in Serie A.

A victory this week could bring them even with Parma and alleviate any lingering relegation worries, though the Rossoblu have only managed to earn 13 points from a possible 39 while playing away.

Team News

Parma will be able to reinstate key defender Alessandro Circati following his suspension, while long-term sidelined player Zion Suzuki is back in training and could potentially be included on the bench.

Since Suzuki has been out with a severe hand injury for several months, Edoardo Corvi – who has performed admirably against both Bologna and Milan – is expected to continue as the goalkeeper.

Abdoulaye N’Diaye, Pontus Almqvist, and Matija Frigan remain unavailable, though the team’s leading scorer Mateo Pellegrino is anticipated to be fit and ready to play.

Only Milan’s Rafael Leao has effectively contributed as many points to his club this season (11), with Pellegrino being a notable aerial threat.

On the other hand, for Cagliari, another young forward is currently leading as the visitors’ top scorer, Semih Kilicsoy with four goals in Serie A.

Pisacane is likely to choose Juan Rodriguez to take Mina’s place as he serves a one-match ban, although options are limited elsewhere.

Luca Mazzitelli limped off before half-time in last week’s match against Lazio and is out with a calf injury, joining a lengthy injury list that includes Alessandro Deiola, Gennaro Borrelli, Andrea Belotti, Mattia Felici, and Gianluca Gaetano.

Parma probable starting XI:

Crows; Circati, Troilo, Valenti; Del Prato, Bernabe, Keita, Sorensen, Valeri; Strefezza; Pilgrim

Cagliari probable starting XI:

Caprile; Ze Pedro, Rodriguez, Dossena, Obert; Palestra, Adopo, Sulemana, Idrissi; Esposito, Kilicsoy

A draw would be beneficial for both clubs as they edge closer to securing their places in Serie A for another season.

Cagliari often struggles to find their best form on the road, while Parma’s home record is modest, and neither team tends to score frequently.