Parma’s board deserves a lot of credit for the appointment of the inexperienced and rookie manager Carlos Cuesta. The Spaniard has steadied the ship, considering the Crusaders were widely considered a relegation battler of sorts at the start of the season.
Parma will likely secure a mid-table place, far away from relegation but also considerably far from any European spots; so they have nothing to lose nor gain in the three games left this campaign. One thing they have done well is play the role of a disruptor, be it the title race or the top-four battle, and they could have another chance in continuing that run.
Parma have produced multiple impressive results against the top four or top six in Serie A, with a recent draw against Napoli and a win over AC Milan playing an instrumental role in opening up the top-four race. While they did lose against Roma in the reverse fixture, the Crociati will once again look to achieve a positive result and have a positive end to an otherwise good season from their perspective.
A good result for Parma on Sunday will not be good news for Roma, who are in the thick of the top-four race. A recent run of games saw Roma achieve some valuable wins while stumbling against Inter Milan and Atalanta, which did place their top-four race in jeopardy.
However, back-to-back wins over Bologna and Fiorentina have put Gian Piero Gasperini’s side well within reach, as they currently languish in fifth place, a point behind Juventus. The Giallorossi are in must-win territory with three games remaining in the season, and they must face Lazio and then Hellas Verona after this trip to Parma.
Both Roma and Juventus are primed to fight for the fourth spot, with both teams having at least one tricky game. The latter are yet to play in the Turin Derby against Torino, and Gasperini will demand perfection from his players to give themselves a good chance of finishing fourth.
Carlos Cuesta will have some selection decisions to make ahead of the Roma clash. Parma will miss Benjamin Cremaschi and long-term absentee Matija Frigan for this encounter. Beyond those two, Cuesta has a full squad to choose from, as his major selection headache is for the front two, and Nesta Elphege’s two goals in his last three games may force the manager to change his setup.
Ideally, the manager would prefer to pair Mateo Pellegrino, who is their main man with eight strikes to his name, with Gabriel Strefezza. However, Elphege could break up that pairing and play alongside Pellegrino against Roma.
Beyond that, Cuesta will continue with his 3-5-2 setup, with Alessandro Circati, Mariano Troilo, and Abdoulaye Ndiaye forming the back three. Enrico Del Prato and Emanuele Valeri will feature in the wing-back roles, while Hans Nicolussi Caviglia, Mandela Keita, and Adrian Bernabe will take care of the midfield tasks.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Suzuki; Circati, Troilo, Ndiaye; Delprato, Keita, Nicolussi Caviglia, Bernabe, Valeri; Elphege, Pellegrino
Gian Piero Gasperini has a few injury concerns with key players, as Lorenzo Pellegrini continues to remain sidelined alongside Bryan Zaragoza and Artem Dovbyk. Evan Ferguson will play no part for the remaining games as an ankle injury has prematurely ended his campaign.
Stephan El Shaarawy and backup keeper Pierluigi Gollini are close to returning, having trained separately with muscular problems, and both have a chance to be included in Sunday’s squad.
Gasperini is not expected to make any alterations to his side, as he might prefer his usual setup, with Gianluca Mancini, Evan Ndicka, and Mario Hermoso set to continue in the back three. Wesley and Zeki Celik will reprise the wing-back roles, while Bryan Cristante and Manu Kone will continue their midfield partnership.
Meanwhile, even though Paulo Dybala has regained his fitness, Gasperini might continue with the attacking trio of Matias Soule, Niccolo Pisilli and Donyell Malen in the final third. The latter scoring 11 times in 15 games, and he will continue to lead the line for AS Roma against Parma this weekend.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Celik, Cristante, Kone, Wesley; Soule, Pisilli; Malen
Roma made a sensational decision back in January as they managed to sign Malen from Aston Villa on loan, with Leon Bailey returning to the Birmingham side. Little did the Roma fans expect the kind of impact from the Dutchman, as his 11 goals from 15 Serie A games have put the club in a strong position to challenge for a top-four place.
The versatile attacker will once again become a key figure should he perform at his recent levels, as Roma need inspiration from everywhere, especially their centre-forward. Hence, Malen will once again come under the spotlight as the Giallorossi continue to push towards a top-four spot.
Parma are under no pressure in this game, which does not necessarily point towards timid performances. On the contrary, Carlos Cuesta can test new ideas and push for a strong end to their season, which may end up causing some problems for visitors Roma.
However, the visitors have the task of qualifying for the Champions League, which could see Gasperini’s side pushed into action. A win could be on the cards for the capital giants, as Roma could keep their distance or even go past Juventus in the standings, depending on what happens with the latter’s game.
