Overview
Some opinions suggest that Parma is in a "rest" state after 31 rounds, as a 5-match winless streak has stalled the Emilia team.
Previously, coach Carlos Cuesta's team had created important momentum with three consecutive victories in February against Bologna (1-0), Hellas Verona (2-1) and AC Milan (1-0), thereby almost ensuring a relegation spot.
Currently, Parma is 7 points ahead of the dangerous group and ranks 13th. Although not completely safe, the risk of being dragged down is not high when bottom-ranked teams such as Cagliari, Cremonese, Lecce, Hellas Verona and Pisa are not in good form.
In the last 5 matches, no team in this group has won more than 3 points. Parma itself only has 3 more points in the winless streak, and in fact only Lecce (27 points) still has a theoretical chance to surpass them. This partly explains why Parma plays without motivation in the final stage of the season.
In stark contrast, Napoli is showing great determination in the championship race. The reigning Serie A champion is accelerating strongly with 5 consecutive victories, taking advantage of the time when Inter Milan cannot maintain stability.
In the second half of the season, Napoli is only behind Inter in points (26 compared to 27), but it is noteworthy that 15 of those points came from the last 5 rounds - a clear sign of the end-of-season acceleration.
However, this journey is not easy at all. Napoli's victories all have a close gap against opponents such as Verona (2-1), Lecce (2-1), Cagliari (1-0), Torino (2-1) and AC Milan (1-0).
This shows effectiveness but also potential risks, especially when they are about to face a Parma that they have not been able to defeat in the last two encounters - both ended goalless.
In the context that the Scudetto race is still open, Napoli must win to continue to put pressure on Inter Milan. The away team's fans expect a positive result at Emilia-Romagna, thereby keeping a slim hope in the journey to defend the Serie A championship.
Personnel situation
Adrian Bernabe is still uncertain to play in this match. The home team Parma is also missing Mateo Pellegrino due to suspension, along with injuries from Benjamin Cremaschi, Matija Frigan and Pontus Almqvist.
The loss of Pellegrino and the possibility of Bernabe's absence make it difficult for Parma to score goals. Statistics show that they are the team with the fewest goalscorers in Serie A (10 people), and are forced to find a solution to face the experienced team of the opponent.
On the contrary, Napoli does not have many firepower problems. Antonio Conte's team has 19 different players scoring goals this season - a number that shows the diversity in attacking approaches.
However, Napoli also suffered certain losses when Romelu Lukaku, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, David Neres and Antonio Vergara were absent due to injury.
Rasmus Hojlund's case is still open due to health problems. If Hojlund cannot play, Napoli is likely to place expectations on Scott McTominay.
The Scottish midfielder is in good form with 7 goals and 3 assists, and has scored 2 goals in the last 4 matches, becoming an important breakthrough option in the attack.
Expected lineup:
Suzuki, Delprato, Circati, Valenti, Britschgi, Caviglia, Keita, Sorensen, Valeri, Oristanio, Strefezza.
Milinkovic-Savic, Jesus, Buongiorno, Olivera, Politano, Anguissa, Lobotka, Spinazzola, De Bruyne, McTominay, Giovane.
The match between Parma and Napoli takes place at 8:00 PM on April 12 (Vietnam time).
