Serie A Preview: Milan vs Parma – Team News, Lineups & Prediction | OneFootball

Sunday’s Serie A action closes out at Stadio San Siro as runners-up Milan take on bottom-half strugglers Parma in a must-win clash. Anything other than three points here would likely spell the end of the home side’s title hopes.

Despite being on the verge of securing a fifth top-four finish in six years, it shapes up to be a disappointing season for Milan. In addition to December’s Supercoppa Italiana heartbreak, the Rossoneri finished their Coppa Italia journey in the Round of 16, courtesy of a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Lazio.

Furthermore, Massimiliano Allegri’s men trail runaway leaders Inter by a staggering ten points after the Nerazzurri’s comfortable 2-0 win at Lecce yesterday. Barring a highly surprising twist in the final stretch, Milan may have to settle for a top-four finish rather than a landmark 20th Scudetto.

Despite going unbeaten in 24 consecutive league matches since the opening-day loss to Cremonese (W15, D9), a high volume of draws has curtailed Milan’s title ambitions. The San Siro giants shared the spoils in a fateful 1-1 draw against Como in midweek Serie A action, with Rafael Leao rescuing a point for his side with a well-taken goal in the second half.

As for Parma, they’ve set themselves up perfectly for this trip, winning back-to-back league games against Bologna and Hellas Verona, each by a single-goal margin. In doing so, Carlos Cuesta’s charges have steered eight points clear of 18th-placed Fiorentina, giving themselves a healthy cushion in the relegation scrap and easing the pressure ahead of this daunting visit to San Siro.

Match Preview

Milan

Though gut-wrenching, the draw against Como moved Milan to the brink of history, as they now stand on the verge of going unbeaten in 25 consecutive matches within a single top-flight campaign for the second time in their history. That result makes a victory here all the more important, and they would be wise not to take anything for granted.

Indeed, Allegri’s men have shared the spoils in three of their last five home league outings (W2). Furthermore, they squandered a two-goal lead in a frustrating 2-2 draw at Stadio Ennio Tardini in November’s reverse fixture, highlighting just how tricky this showdown could be for the 19-time Italian champions.

Against this backdrop, Milan have claimed eight wins across their last ten home clashes against Parma despite failing to keep a clean sheet in their eight most recent meetings here in Serie A. That could be a problem for the hosts, as they’ve scored precisely one goal in five of their last seven home matches.

Parma

Finding the net here would see Parma get on the scoresheet in nine consecutive away games against Milan for the first time in their top-flight history. However, slow out of the blocks, the visitors have netted a league-low seven first-half goals so far this season, suggesting traveling fans may have to wait until the second half for the action to truly come alive.

Moreover, the Crusaders have found themselves 1-0 down inside the opening 15 minutes in six Serie A matches this season. Avoiding another slow start might go a long way toward helping Parma win three consecutive top-flight games on the road for the first time since March 2014.

Despite a substantial gulf in class, Parma will likely fancy their chances at San Siro, drawing confidence from an impressive run of four wins from their last seven Serie A road trips (D2, L1). However, they only claimed one point in two matches against Milan’s fellow top-six rivals Napoli and Atalanta during that sequence, suggesting a positive result here won’t be simple to achieve.

Team News

Except for long-term absentee Santiago Gimenez, all other Milan stars should be fit for this showdown, though there’s a question mark hovering over the head of Strahinja Pavlovic. Indeed, the Serbian center-back had to come off against Como on Wednesday due to injury.

On the other hand, Zion Suzuki, Abdoulaye N’Diaye, Pontus Almqvist, and Matija Frigan are struggling with injuries and won’t be at Cuesta’s disposal. Furthermore, Alessandro Circati must serve a yellow-card suspension, leaving Parmas short of reliable defensive options.

Milan vs Parma Potential Starting Lineups

Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Bartesaghi; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Modric, Rabiot, Estupinan; Pulisic, Leao.

Parma (3-5-1-1): Corvi; Del Prato, Troilo, Valenti; Britschgi, Bernabe, Keita, Sorensen, Valeri; Strefezza; Pellegrino.

Milan vs Parma Prediction

Despite Parma’s decent away form, Milan cannot afford a slip-up here, and the hosts have more than enough firepower to break down the visitors’ resistance and secure a routine victory.

With their title aspirations hanging by a thread, expect the Rossoneri to approach this clash with urgency and intensity, which should ultimately prove too much for a Parma side still prone to defensive lapses.