Parma – Udinese

The battle between two underdogs will be a high-scoring affair.

Parma have suffered defeat for the third consecutive round. The departure of Carlos Cuesta, whose ideas had guided the team for just over a season, further destabilized the already fragile Crusaders. Last Saturday, the Rossoblu faced Lazio at the Olimpico. The visitors created the first dangerous chance, but Mandas dealt with Romero’s shot. The Greek goalkeeper soon had to intervene again, saving a dangerous effort from El Bilal Touré. Gradually, the attacking potential of Alberto Gilardino’s side began to fade. The Biancocelesti regained control of the match and took the lead after the break. On 51 minutes, Thilo opened the scoring, and eight minutes later an unfortunate own goal by Diego Carlos doubled Gattuso’s side’s advantage. Parma managed to pull one goal back just before the final whistle. In bizarre fashion, following a cross from Lontani, the ball crossed the Romans’ goal line. The previous round, Parma had been thrashed 3–0 by Torino. Udinese’s situation is even worse. The Friuliani have lost their last six matches, and Runjaic’s future appears to depend on this game. On Sunday, the Bianconeri hosted Milan. The Devils capitalized on a defensive mistake by the hosts and took the lead early in the match. The Rossoneri played as befits the favorites and created chances periodically. Milan scored their second goal in the 65th minute. Udinese could have pulled one goal back, but no more. In the previous round, the team suffered a heavy defeat to Lecce. Statistical metrics point to both teams being slightly short in certain areas. According to xGA, Udinese should have conceded 2.58 more goals. This is despite the fact that the team have already picked the ball out of their own net 18 times in eight rounds. According to the xG metric, Parma should have scored two more goals. The Crusaders are effective in attack but often struggle at the finishing stage. For example, against Torino, Gilardino’s players took 25 shots at the opponent’s goal, but not one resulted in a goal. Obviously, the Friuliani will not be able to solve their defensive problems in such a short time. At the same time, the team are under pressure from their recent run of poor results. The Bianconeri have failed to score in their last two matches and are hardly eager to extend that run. Parma’s situation is clearly no better, but they are just as eager to redeem themselves. It is highly likely that the scoreboard will not remain goalless by the end of the match.