Preview: Parma vs. Atalanta BC - prediction, team news, lineups

Relegated Parma will play only for pride on Sunday afternoon, when they welcome top-four contenders Atalanta BC to Stadio Ennio Tardini.

The hosts' demotion was confirmed after Monday's loss to Torino - their 20th of a miserable campaign - while Gian Piero Gasperini's visitors have won six of their last eight games, as they seek a best-ever second place finish in Serie A.

Match preview

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Parma were officially relegated from Serie A earlier this week, as Mergim Vojvoda's second-half goal for Torino sealed their fate with a 1-0 defeat in Turin.

With their Serie A status on the line, the Gialloblu were plagued by familiar issues against the Granata, as their attack failed to fire once again. A 10th away loss of the season sees Roberto D'Aversa's side now 12 points adrift of safety with four games to go and with an inferior head-to-head record against the teams just above them.

Following their latest reverse against struggling counterparts, Parma have earned only 11 points against teams in the bottom half of the table and can also curse several missed opportunities, after effectively dropping 27 points from winning positions throughout the 2020-21 campaign.

D'Aversa, who was re-appointed as Fabio Liverani's successor in January, has since lamented his team's upcoming step down to the second tier - coming after four years of continuous success since climbing out of the dark depths of Serie D.

As a return to Serie B now looms later this month, the dispirited Crociati must face one of the toughest assignments at the elite level - having previously picked up only a solitary point from their last seven league meetings with Atalanta; scoring just twice in the process.

Not only that, but Parma were beaten 3-0 by the Bergamaschi in January and have also lost each of their last two home games against them.

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Though they were down to 10 men for most of their previous outing, Atalanta still managed to hold in-form Sassuolo to a draw - also seeing a Luis Muriel penalty saved - but were consequently reeled in by the chasing pack, as the battle for Champions League qualification intensifies.

After an encounter that ultimately decided the Scudetto in Inter's favour - in which goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini was recklessly sent off before wing-back Robin Gosens scored his 11th goal of the season - La Dea find themselves locked on points with nearest rivals Juventus and Milan, while fifth-placed Napoli sit just two further behind.

While Atalanta's 79 goals (five more than new champions Inter) have helped them string together an excellent run of results - 10 wins, three draws and just one loss from their last 14 matches - they could still conceivably miss out on a top-four finish this season.

To avoid such a fate, Gian Piero Gasperini's free-scoring outfit will seek to take advantage of an apparently gentle run-in, with struggling Benevento and Genoa next to play after Parma, ahead of a potentially tumultuous final day clash with Lombardy rivals Milan. In their current form, the Bergamo side will expect to finish a fine first half of 2021 with a flourish, by beating Juventus in the Coppa Italia final and then the Rossoneri, back on home soil.

Coming into Sunday's game, Atalanta have posted 20 points from the last 24 available and so expect to take a step closer to equalling their club record of away wins in a single Serie A campaign (of 11) set last term. As they have two away matches left to do so, the team with the most goals in the top flight will expect to make short work of a Parma side have netted less than half their total - in fact, the fewest in the league.

Team News

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As Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini was red-carded against Sassuolo for a miscalculated lunge outside the box, Marco Sportiello will return to the side after previously putting together a run of appearances earlier this year.

Gian Piero Gasperini has further defensive issues to contend with ahead of the trip to Emilia-Romagna, as Italy centre-back Rafael Toloi has sustained a thigh strain and will miss out. Joakim Maehle has been suffering with a sore Achilles, so has been unable to train throughout the week - though the Dane should still start on the opposite flank to fellow wide-man Robin Gosens at the Tardini.

Top scorer Luis Muriel was benched last week and missed a penalty upon his emergence from the sidelines, so Duvan Zapata may continue in alliance with in-form Ruslan Malinovskyi and the recently out-of-favour Josip Ilicic behind him.

The hosts, meanwhile, have a familiar infirmary full of injury absentees, with Gaston Brugman the latest to suffer a thigh strain and is set to miss out this weekend. The midfielder joins Yann Karamoh (ankle), Dennis Man (thigh), Simone Iacoponi (knee), Wylan Cyprien (thigh), plus longer-term injury concerns Joshua Zirkzee and Roberto Inglese on the treatment table.

After accumulating too many bookings, Hernani is suspended, so should be replaced by either Jasmin Kurtic or Juan Brunetta in the Parma engine room.

On-loan full-back Andrea Conti will be available after injury though, while Romania forward Valentin Mihaila's thigh problem will be assessed prior to kickoff.

Parma possible starting lineup:
Sepe; Busi, Alves, Osorio, Gagliolo; Grassi, Sohm, Kurtic; Kucka, Cornelius, Gervinho

Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Sportiello; Romero, Palomino, Djimsiti; Maehle, De Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Ilicic, Malinovskyi; Zapata

We say: Parma 0-2 Atalanta BC

A sixth consecutive defeat beckons for Serie B-bound Parma, who remain wracked by injuries and are at rock-bottom in terms of confidence.

There is still all to play for in the visitors' camp, on the other hand, so Atalanta can surge to another victory - with goals seemingly an infinite resource in the Nerazzurri squad.