Serie A Preview: Milan vs Parma – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Stadio San Siro sets the stage for a revenge-poised Serie A encounter between European hopefuls Milan and bottom-half Parma. Sunday’s program kicks off with a high-stakes encounter for the home side following another triumphant European night.

Rafael Leao’s masterclass made the difference in Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Girona. The Portuguese winger scored a delightful first-half winner to inspire Milan to a pivotal 1-0 victory at the San Siro, bringing them closer to a coveted top-eight finish.

Beating Dinamo Zagreb on the final matchday would see Milan through to the Round of 16 as a result of the club’s third-ever five-game winning streak at Europe’s top table. However, things don’t look promising for the Rossoneri in Serie A, where they languish two points off the European spots.

After a disheartening 2-0 defeat at Juventus last weekend, Milan can ill afford another slip-up, with fourth-placed Lazio already eight points away. Therefore, they’ll be out to avenge a dismal 2-1 defeat in August’s reverse fixture against out-of-sorts Parma.

Despite fighting back from a halftime deficit to hold fellow relegation contenders Venezia to a 1-1 draw last weekend, Fabio Pecchia’s side can’t be proud of their recent momentum. Three consecutive winless league outings (D2, L1) leave Parma perilously close to the bottom three.

Indeed, they sit only a point clear of 18th-placed Hellas Verona pre-round, highlighting the importance of upsetting the apple cart in Lombardy. But that could prove easier said than done.

Match Preview

Milan

Before a 2-2 draw in their most recent league meeting with Parma at the San Siro, Milan had won three consecutive home duels ‘to one.’ Manager Sergio Conceicao will expect nothing less this weekend as he seeks only his second win in Serie A since replacing Paulo Fonseca (W1, D1, L1).

To achieve that, Milan must defy an underwhelming home league form. They’ve drawn their last three Serie A matches here, including a scoreless stalemate against bottom-half minnows Cagliari on Conceicao’s touchline debut in front of the home fans.

However, the former Porto boss has seemingly turned Milan’s fortunes around, going unbeaten in five of his first six competitive games in charge of the club (W4, D1, L1). In doing so, he helped Milan to their first piece of silverware since 2022/23, beating Inter and Juventus en route to Supercoppa Italiana glory.

Further confidence comes from Milan’s decent home league record this season, as they’ve only lost once in ten matches at the San Siro (W4, D5).

Parma

Hernani’s strike from the spot against Venezia remains Parma’s only goal across the last three Serie A matchdays. A lack of firepower up top is an issue for Pecchia’s men, who have only won two of their eight league fixtures since the start of December (D2, L4).

Furthermore, they’ve failed to get on the scoresheet across their last three Serie A travels (D1, L2), including a 5-0 demolition at Roma toward the end of 2024. Those matches form part of Parma’s four-game winless run on the road (D1, L3).

With that in mind, Parma must improve defensively to bolster their survival hopes. Only Verona (47) have conceded more goals than Parma’s 36 coming into this weekend, highlighting the depth of their problems at the back.

Adding to Pecchia’s worries, Parma have conceded at least two goals on their last nine league visits to Milan (W1, D1, L7).

Team News

In addition to long-term absentee Alessandro Florenzi, Milan will be without Malick Thiaw, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Emerson Royal. The Brazilian’s injury could see winter signing Kyle Walker make his Serie A debut for Milan this weekend. Meanwhile, Samuel Chukwueze could be back from injury for this clash.

As for Parma, Adrian Bernabe, Mateusz Kowalski, and Gabriel Charpentier have got company on the sidelines. Defensive trio Botond Balogh, Yordan Osorio, and Alessandro Circati are also unavailable for selection, handing Pecchia a significant selection headache ahead of this trip.

Milan vs Parma Potential Starting Line-ups

Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Walker, Gabbia, Tomori, Hernandez; Bennacer, Fofana; Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao; Morata.

Parma (4-2-3-1): Suzuki; Del Prato, Valenti, Vogliacco, Valeri; Keita, Sohm; Man, Hernani, Mihaila; Bonny.

Milan vs Parma Prediction

There’s simply no margin for error. Milan must take three points at all costs, and Conceciao knows that. Sheer firepower should help the Rossoneri see off their struggling visitors and keep their European dream alive.