With just one league win between them this season, Parma and Cagliari will fight it out for three points on Monday evening, when they meet at Stadio Tardini.
While the Crociati bravely fought back to secure a draw last time out, their Sardinian counterparts lost a third straight Serie A match before scraping through in the Coppa Italia.
Match preview
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Two stoppage-time strikes turned Parma's most recent game on its head, as last season's Serie B champions salvaged a remarkable draw from their trip down to Lecce, as both teams played out a frantic finale with just 10 men.
Having let leads slip several times since returning to Italy's top flight, this time the Emilian side pulled off a last-gasp escape, with goals from ex-Lecce winger Pontus Almqvist and then Antoine Hainaut hauling them level at Via del Mare.
It was only the second time that Parma have ever scored twice after the 90th minute in a Serie A fixture, and there is certainly no shortage of spirit in Fabio Pecchia's young squad.
However, his team have now received a red card in each of their last three matches - goalkeeper Zion Suzuki against Napoli, Mandela Keita versus Udinese, and Matteo Cancellieri in Lecce - so discipline must be tightened up if they are to stay on course for survival.
Pecchia has fielded the youngest team on average this term, but they will have to grow up fast in a league dominated by experienced players.
Parma now return to the Tardini, where they have kept five clean sheets in their last seven top-flight encounters with Cagliari; however, they have also won only one of their last 10 against the Rossoblu ahead of Monday's meeting.
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While history may be on their side in some respects, Cagliari's recent form suggests that they will not start favourites to prevail in Parma.
Davide Nicola's men occupy 20th place in the Serie A standings and are still awaiting their first league win of the 2024-25 campaign.
Following last week's 2-0 home loss to Nicola's former club Empoli, the Sardinian side have failed to even score in any of their last three league games - the last time they went four without scoring was back in July 2020.
Indeed, Cagliari have found the net just once in Serie A so far, though Gianluca Lapadula's lone strike on Tuesday did prove enough to book their place in the Coppa Italia's last 16.
A tough tie against Juventus was the Rossoblu's reward for seeing off Cremonese, but now they switch focus back to a likely season-long relegation fight.
Last year, Cagliari had also managed just one goal after five rounds under Claudio Ranieri and were still without a victory, and they ultimately clambered their way towards safety.
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Team News
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Parma boss Fabio Pecchia can call upon Mandela Keita again, with the young midfielder having served a suspension, but Matteo Cancellieri must now serve a one-match ban for his sending-off against Lecce.
As the latter is unavailable, Romanian wingers Dennis Man and Valentin Mihaila should support Yoan Bonny up front.
While Hernani and Simon Sohm are both set to overcome minor injuries sustained last week, Nahuel Estevez and Adrian Benedyczak are still sidelined; Australian centre-back Alessandro Circati has suffered a serious knee injury and will miss the rest of the season.
With Serie A safety being his top priority, Cagliari coach Davide Nicola rotated his squad for the Rossoblu's recent cup tie against Cremonese, but the visitors will be back at full strength on Monday evening.
Only Mateusz Wieteska and midfielder Matteo Prati are possible absentees - the latter due to an ongoing ankle problem - so regulars such as strike pair Roberto Piccoli and Zito Luvumbo should be recalled at Stadio Tardini.
Parma possible starting lineup:
Suzuki; Del Prato, Balogh, Osorio, Coulibaly; Bernabe, Hernani; Man, Sohm, Mihaila; Bonny
Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Scuffet; Zappa, Mina, Luperto; Zortea, Gaetano, Marin, Deiola, Augello; Luvumbo, Piccoli
We say: Parma 2-1 Cagliari
A meeting between the team that attempted the most shots after five matchdays (Cagliari, 85) and the side that conceded more attempts than any other (Parma, 93) surely cannot end goalless.
Both home advantage and a sharper cutting edge should tip the balance in Parma's favour, leaving their visitors still searching for an elusive Serie A success.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
