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Napoli will travel to Parma for their upcoming Serie A fixture, after making a stunning comeback against their previous opponents Udinese to record a 2-1 win at home on Sunday.
I Partenopei have already secured their place in next season's Europa League with their triumph in the Coppa Italia over Juventus last month. They are mathematically out of the race for a top-four finish in the league this season and thus have nothing much left to play for. It is expected that their attention will be on the UEFA Champions League last-16 tie against Barcelona in August.
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Parma have virtually secured their top-flight status for yet another season, with 11 points separating them from 18th placed Lecce. They suffered a defeat in their previous outing against Sampdoria in a five-goal thriller, conceding three second-half goals to squander a two-goal lead. A top 10 finish is still very much on the cards for I Gialloblu.
Here, we provide you with all the details you need to know before the two sides lock horns at the Stadio Ennio Tardini in their Serie A fixture.
Parma vs Napoli Head-to-Head
Napoli have been the dominant side in their recent Serie A encounters but the overall head-to-head record is pretty even between the two sides. Of the 35 top-flight meetings between the sides, 15 have gone Napoli's way while Parma came out on top 13 times. Seven games have ended in a stalemate.
The hosts recorded a surprise 2-1 win the reverse fixture earlier this season. Napoli head into the game on a five-match unbeaten streak, while Parma boasts a poor record of 4 losses and one draw in their previous five outings.
Parma form guide: LLDLLL.
Napoli form guide: WDDWWL.
Parma vs Napoli Team News
Parma:
Parma’s injury crisis has left their squad thin with Andreas Cornelius, Juraj Kucka, Matteo Scozzarella and Bruno Alves all struggling with injuries. Kucka and Alves are said to be dealing with fatigue issues but may be named in the squad against Napoli after they were left out of the squad against Sampdoria.
There's some good news for Roberto D'Aversa as the duo of Matteo Darmian and Alberto Grassi will be available for selection after serving their one-game suspension.
Injuries: Andreas Cornelius (Hamstring), Matteo Scozzarella (Calf).
Doubtful: Juraj Kucka (match fitness), Bruno Alves (match fitness).
Suspensions: None.
Napoli:
Unlike most of the clubs in the Italian top flight, Napoli's players have been spared from injuries in this hectic schedule of league fixtures. One point of concern for Gennaro Gattuso is the fitness of their star forward Dries Mertens, who was substituted off the field in the first half in their previous fixture after picking up an injury to his backside.
It is understood that he was taken off only as a precaution, nonetheless Gattuso will be hoping or a speedy recovery for the player as Napoli will also be without another striker in Arkadiusz Milik.
Milik was booked in the last match and will serve a one-match ban as a result of an accumulation of yellow cards.
Right-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo is back from a suspension of his own and will likely replace Elseid Hysaj in this game.
They continue to be without the services of Fernando Llorente, who is struggling with match fitness for over a month now and is only expected to be back in August.
Injuries: Fernando Llorente (Match Fitness).
Doubtful: Dries Mertens (Hip)
Suspensions: Arkadiusz Milik.
Parma vs Napoli Predicted XI
Parma predicted XI (4-3-3): Luigi Sepe; Matteo Darmian, Simone Iacoponi, Riccardo Gagliolo, Giuseppe Pezzella; Hernani, Alberto Grassi, Jasmin Kurtic; Dejan Kulusevski, Roberto Inglese, Gervinho.
Napoli Predicted XI (4-3-3): David Ospina; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Kostas Manolas, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Fabian Ruiz, Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zielinski; Jose Callejon, Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne.
Parma vs Napoli prediction
Napoli are out of contention for automatic qualification into the UEFA Champions League and Parma are also safe from relegation unless they lose all of their remaining four fixtures.
In conclusion, there's not a lot at stake here for both the teams, though the home side is still in contention for a top-10 finish. It is expected that Napoli will focus entirely on their Champions League Round of 16, second leg showdown with Barcelona at the Nou Camp and the league fixtures will assume a lower priority for them.
Thus, we expect this fixture to be a low-scoring affair, with the visitors taking away the three points from the game beating their opposition with a one-goal margin.
Final Verdict:- Parma 0-1 Napoli.
