Parma vs Cittadella | All you need to know.
On March 10, 2022 by Jake IovineCittadella open Matchday 29 in the league with a trip to Parma. Italian goalkeeping legend Gigi Buffon will be sidelined for this match, but the task is not much easier.
Two teams needing wins to get on the right foot going into the final stretch of the season. Both Parma and Cittadella have had rocky seasons, but a good performance Friday night could be a key turning point.
Parma will have to play without one of the best goalkeepers of all time, Gianluigi Buffon. The veteran goalkeeper suffered a contusion last weekend against Reggina. Buffon saved a penalty in these two’s last meeting in October, as Parma were victorious 2-1 on the night.
Going into that match last October, Cittadella’s form had been slipping. On Friday, the situation is looking very similar for Edoardo Gorini’s men. Losing 2-1 to a 9 men Monza side has put doubt on Cittadella’s ability for promotion, and every single player will be looking to brush off the disappointing loss.
Let’s take a look at both teams.
Cittadella
As written in the previous article, this game starts an important ten match run for Cittadella. Starting Friday until May, the Granata will play some critical games that will determine whether they’ll have another shot at promotion.
A win in Parma wouldn’t hurt. Being the first game to be played during these round of games, a win for Cittadella will put pressure on the surrounding teams to get the three points this weekend. Parma have always been a thorn in the side for the Granata. In the only five meetings between the two clubs, Cittadella have never beaten Parma, while only managing two draws.
Another problem regarding Cittadella is the offense. Missing strikers Orji Okwonkwo and Mamadou Tounkara, Gorini will be short-handed at the Stadio Ennio Tardini. Only two true center forwards are listed for this match, with those being Camillo Tavernelli and Giacomo Beretta. This means Gorini has to call up Primavera attacker Saliou Thioune. Under Manuel Iori this season with the U19’s, Thioune has scored 8 goals and 1 assist. He has yet to make his professional debut, and this will be his first senior team call up.
The lineup is a big talking point, and it’ll be interesting to see what Gorini has in store. A win–or even a draw–will put Cittadella back into the playoff positions, but only temporary as they are the first game to be played this weekend.
Parma
It’s been an interesting year for Parma. Having acquired Buffon last summer, on top of aiming to compete for promotion, it hasn’t worked out according to plan.
It could be worse, however. Parma sit in 13th in the league table, being exactly nine points above relegation, and nine points behind the promotion playoffs. After a poor start to the league, Giuseppe Iachini has improved Parma’s form and state. Currently, Parma have only lost two matches out of their last nine, however, five of those games were draws.
Similar to last season in Serie A, Parma has had a difficult time closing out matches. A tendency of conceding late goals have knocked some points off the season for Parma.
Along with Buffon having brought experience to this team, Parma have also brought in Goran Pandev and Simy to boost their attack. Having not played since mid February, Pandev is back in the squad against Cittadella. Since coming from Salernitana during the winter, Simy has scored a goal and assisted three in eight league appearances.
It’s interesting times for Parma at this point of the season. Not far from the drop, but also not far from promotion. It’s interesting to see if they’ll make a late season run to the playoffs, or will Buffon and co battle to beat relegation.