Serie A Preview: Benitez’s Disciple Leads Parma, Morata’s Absence Leaves AC Milan Relying on Newcomers

At 00:30 on August 25th, the second round of Serie A will see Parma host AC Milan at the Tardini Stadium.

As a promoted team, Parma was eliminated in the first round of the Coppa Italia (losing to Palermo from Serie B) and drew 1-1 with Fiorentina in the first round of the league, indicating that they might not be strong against weaker teams but are also not weak against stronger ones. In the two games, Parma managed a total of 31 shots, suggesting an offensive playing style. This is closely related to their manager, Luigi Di Biagio, who previously served as an assistant coach at Real Madrid, Napoli, and Newcastle, and was the coach of Juventus’ U23 team. Known as “Baby Benitez,” he started his career following Benitez around Napoli and Real Madrid, and his independent coaching style resembles that of Benitez. He will be one of the highlights of Serie A this season.

AC Milan spent 71.7 million euros during the summer transfer window to bring in new signings like Fofana, Pavlovic, Emerson, and Morata, and appointed a new manager, Fonseca. The initial challenge for them is blending these new players into the team. In the first round of Serie A, Milan drew 2-2 with Torino, showing that there’s room for improvement in team cohesion. After a full week of training with the new signings, Fonseca is hopeful for a bigger impact in this round, stating confidently before the match: “This week’s training has been very effective, and it will show on the pitch.”

In terms of head-to-head records, AC Milan have remained unbeaten in the last eight encounters with Parma, winning six and drawing two. However, due to Parma’s relegation, their last meeting was in April 2021, making the historical data less relevant given the significant changes in both squads since then.

In terms of squad availability, Parma will miss five players due to injuries, including left-back Dikyala, center-back Osorio, midfielder Hermanni, and attackers Chapendiae and Benedsac, who are all dealing with varying degrees of injury.

For AC Milan, the absence of rotation goalkeeper Sportiello and rotation full-back Florenzi should not have a significant impact. However, the loss of top striker Morata is more concerning. At the pre-match press conference, the coach stated, “Tomorrow Okafur will start, and Jovic may come on during the game.” Okafur, who has mostly played as a winger in recent years, will temporarily fill the role of center-forward, as the Rossoneri attempt a “false nine” formation. According to the coach, “We aim to improve our high pressing and efficient pressing.”

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