Serie A Preview: Parma Strong in Attack but Weak in Defense, Cagliari Might Change Formation with the Worst Attack in the League

On October 1st at 2:45 AM, in the sixth round of Serie A, Parma will host Cagliari at the Tardini Stadium.

Parma is a newly promoted team this season with the goal of staying in Serie A. Cagliari was also promoted last season and finished fifth from the bottom in Serie A, with their goal being relegation survival as well. Although the season has just begun, this “relegation battle” is crucial for both teams.

Parma’s characteristic this season is that they are strong in attack but weak in defense. In the first five rounds of the league, they scored in every game, totaling eight goals, but also conceded in every game, conceding a total of nine goals. They also showed a characteristic of “not being weak against strong opponents,” upsetting AC Milan, drawing with Fiorentina, and leading Napoli until the 90th minute before losing to two stoppage-time goals. However, when facing relatively weaker teams (such as in the Italian Cup against a Serie B team), Parma’s performance fell short of expectations.

Cagliari’s league performance this season has been poor, with two draws in the first two rounds followed by three consecutive losses to Lecce, Napoli, and Empoli, indicating poor form. The main problem for Cagliari is their lack of offensive firepower, scoring only one goal in five league games (against Como) and being shut out in four matches.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, one highlight of this match for Cagliari is a potential change in formation. New manager Davide Nicola, who joined in the summer, has been experimenting with formations such as 3-4-3, 3-5-2, and 3-4-2-1, aiming to improve the team’s ability to create chances. For this match, Cagliari might switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation, partly due to numerous injuries among forwards. During the midweek Italian Cup match against Serie B team Cremonese, Cagliari experimented with an in-game formation change, which worked well. It remains to be seen if it will be effective against Serie A teams.

Regarding head-to-head results, in the last ten encounters, Cagliari holds a slight advantage with four wins, four draws, and two losses. However, these matches were mostly from the 2022-23 season or earlier, and since then, both teams have undergone significant changes due to promotions and new managerial appointments, making historical data less relevant.

In terms of player availability, Parma will miss Cancelleri due to suspension, while Benedzac, Esteves, Kowalski, and Chirichetti are all injured. For Cagliari, Vitska, Jankto, Paolietti, and Lapadula are sidelined due to injuries, with Paolietti being the team captain and a key figure in the dressing room.

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