Overview
Approaching to quickly returning to Italy's second division, Pisa has lost a valuable lead advantage in the must-win match against Genoa last week, thereby suffering another defeat right at home.
Although Simone Canestrelli opened the score, conceding goals in both halves made the Tuscany team pay a heavy price. Currently, Pisa is 10 points behind the safe group when the season is only 5 rounds left.
With this situation, they can completely officially be relegated to Serie B at the weekend if they continue to be empty-handed, while Cremonese and Lecce win points.
Pisa's form also does not bring any hope. They have lost 4 consecutive matches in Serie A and have only scored a meager goal. Notably, no team in the top 5 European national championships has won less than Pisa this season.
In that context, pressure also weighs heavily on the coaching bench. Coach Oscar Hiljemark is facing the risk of losing his job as the team has not shown any signs of improvement since he was appointed in February.
In stark contrast, Parma is gradually escaping the relegation battle. After a long period of struggling in the bottom group, the Emilia team has only lost 2 of their last 10 matches in Serie A.
The victory over Udinese in the recent round - thanks to Nesta Elphege's first goal - has helped Parma take another important step in their relegation journey.
Currently, they have 39 points after 33 rounds, the best record in this period since 2020. Parma may even officially stay in the league if they defeat Pisa, and repeat the first leg result in December - a match they won 1-0 right on the opponent's field.
However, Parma's biggest limitation is still in attack. With only 24 goals from the beginning of the season, Gialloblu can hardly completely depend on their scoring ability, especially when they have only won three home matches.
Personnel situation
Pisa received good news about the force when Mehdi Leris returned, after the French midfielder had to be sidelined last week due to an ankle sprain. However, they still cannot have the services of Marius Marin and Daniel Denoon, two names that continue to be absent.
In attack, Stefano Moreo is still the main hope, in the context that he is being supported by Matteo Tramoni. Besides, Henrik Meister and Rafiu Durosinmi are also ready to compete for a starting spot.
In defense, Pisa is likely to continue to use the familiar 3-center-back formation, with Simone Canestrelli as an important support. This center-back has played the most (31 matches) and played the most minutes (2751 minutes) for the team in Serie A this season.
On the other side, Parma does not have too many personnel changes. Although key striker Mateo Pellegrino had to leave the field midway in the victory against Udinese, Carlos Cuesta still believes he is fit enough to participate in the next match. If so, the hero of the previous match, Nesta Elphege, could return to the bench.
Gabriel Strefezza continues to be a noteworthy factor in the attack, as he has had assists in both of his most recent appearances and is likely to play alongside Pellegrino.
Expected lineup:
Suzuki, Circati, Troilo, Ndiaye, Delprato, Bernabe, Nicolussi Caviglia, Keita, Valeri, Strefezza, Pellegrino.
Semper, Calabresi, Caracciolo, Canestrelli, Toure, Hojolt, Aebischer, Akinsanmiro, Angori, Tramoni, Moreo.
The match between Parma and Pisa takes place at 8:00 PM on April 25 (Vietnam time).
