A ‘proud’ Roberto Donadoni takes his confident Parma side to the capital tomorrow night hoping to cause yet another upset in Serie A. Donadoni beamed to Rai Uno after the victory over Palermo on Sunday.
“I am proud. We managed to beat a good team with excellent players who have caught the eye of some big clubs” Despite being bottom of the table and bankrupt The Ducali have put in a string of fine results in recent weeks, including victories over Juventus and Palermo, as well as coming away from the San Siro with a point against Roberto Mancini’s Inter. Donadoni will have to do without defenders Andrea Costa and Zouhair Feddal both of whom miss out due to suspension, there is also a doubt over star midfielder Jose Mauri. Lazio who sit second in the league will be hoping to stretch the one point gap over city rivals Roma with victory over The Ducali. Ex Parma boss Stefano Pioli will be hoping to get one over his former employers and home town club after Sunday’s frustrating draw to visiting Chievo. Lazio’s defensive rock Stefan De Vrij is the most notable absentee in l’ Biancocelesti’s ranks, having lost just four goals since February, three have been when the Dutch man has been on the sidelines. Pioli’s will also be unable to call up on another former Parma old boy in Marco Parolo as well as Lucas Biglia. Lazio had to come from behind the last time these two sides met back in December, with the visitors scraping by with a 2-1 win, thanks to goals from Stefano Mauri and Felipe Anderson, after Raffaele Palladino had given the hosts the lead. With Parma’s future still up in the air and relegation all but certain it may be the last time we see this fixture for quite some time, however with The Ducali’s impressive recent form and Lazio looking to cement second place this could be one to remember for some time. Probable Line-up’s Lazio – Marchetti, Basta, Novaretti, Mauricio, Radu, Cataldi, Ledesma, Lulic, Candreva, Keita, Felipe Anderson Parma – Mirante, Santacroce, Lucarelli, Gobbi, Cassani, Lila, Jorquera, Nocerino, Varela, Belfodil, Ghezzal. By Giovanni Dougall @giovannid86
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Parma host Palermo this weekend in the knowledge that they could officially be relegated to Serie B if results go against them.
If Roberto Donadoni’s men lose and Atalanta pick up at least a point when they host Empoli then The Ducali will officially be gone. Dondoni will be hoping his side can show the same spirit and determination they have shown over the past few weeks, having only lost one of their last five and desperately unlucky not to have come away with all three points in last weekend’s outing at Empoli. Beppe Iachini’s Palermo travel north to Parma sitting comfortably in mid – table, they still have a very slim chance of Europa League qualification as they sit nine points off fifth place Sampdoria. Not a bad showing at all from the men from Sicily having just been promoted back into to Serie A last year. Parma will be hoping Algerian forward Ishak Belfodil can build on his confidence boosting strike against Empoli last weekend, his first goal since 2013. At the other end the Parma rear guard will have to be on red alert as they come up against European footballs hottest young prospect in Paulo Dybala. Parma have no fresh injury concerns or suspensions to worry about, so Roberto Donadoni has a full squad to choose from as for Palermo they’ll have to do without Croatian midfielder Mato Jajalo who sits out through suspension. The last time these two sides met Parma narrowly lost out 2-1 thanks to goals from Paolo Dybala and Edgar Barreto. Probable Line-ups Parma – Mirante, Cassani, Lucarelli, Feddal, Varela, Mauri, Lodi, Nocerino, Gobbi, Belfodil, Coda Palermo – Sorrentino, Vitiello, Gonzalez, Andelkovic, Rispoli, Rigoni, Maresca, Chochev, Lazaar, Vazquez, Dybala. By Giovanni Dougall @giovannid86 1994/95 The Season of 1994/95 was arguably Parma’s most successful in the clubs history, finishing an impressive 3rd place in Serie A and reaching the Coppa Italia final, only to lose to Juventus. However it was in Europe that the Gialloblu really made an impact. It started back in September 1994, when Parma begun their UEFA Cup campaign, trying to reach their third European final in as many years. This was back in the day of straight knock-out football, no league tables or teams dropping out from the Champions League. Parma were handed a first round draw against Dutch side Vitesse. After losing 1-0 in the first-leg, Nevio Scala’s men were facing elimination at the first hurdle however a 2-0 home victory saw them scrape through. As the competition went on Parma began to build momentum, comfortably seeing off AIK Solna and Athletic Club before disposing of Real Madrid’s surprise conquerors Odense BK. In the semi-final, Parma made short work of German outfit, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, coasting into the final after seeing off Leverkusen 5-1 on aggregate. Awaiting Parma in the final were Marcello Lippi’s Italian Champions Juventus. The Juventus-Parma rivalry was in its early days but quickly intensifying. Domestically the two clubs competed in the final of the Coppa Italia and went head to head in the Scudetto race. It was a two legged final, the first being played at Parma’s Stadio Ennio Tardini. Lippi’s Juventus were hot favorites however they were left stunned when Dino Baggio gave Parma an early lead, a lead the home team would hold on to for the rest of the game to give the Ducali a slender advantage ahead of the return leg. Two weeks later the sides met again, this time at Milan’s San Siro stadium. Gianluca Vialli got the Bianconeri back on level terms with a first half strike. All was going to the plan for Lippi’s men who were still expected to turn the first-leg deficit around and add to their trophy haul. But the Gialloblu were having none of it as Dino Baggio popped up again early in the second half giving his side a 2-1 lead over the two legs. Parma desperately held on as their fans descended into delirium at the final whistle. It was the first time the Emilia Romagna outfit would lift the UEFA Cup, adding it to their UEFA Cup Winners Cup they had won two years earlier. 1998/99
The Parma of the 1998/99 season was the team most of us remember with great fondness. A star studded line up sporting their iconic yellow and blue hooped jerseys, competing for titles at all levels. They were at the height of their powers, led by Alberto Malesani , and bank rolled by Parmalat chief Calisto Tanzi. Under the billionaire’s tenure, Parma would lift two trophies during the 1998/00 season and finish an impressive 4th in Serie A, thus qualifying for the Champions League. The Crociati continued their love affair with the Coppa Italia, defeating Fiorentina in the final but it was on the European front that Malesani’s men made the greatest impression. Parma couldn’t have been handed a tougher task in their first round UEFA Cup tie, having been drawn against Turkish side Fenerbache. The Gialloblu squeezed through, overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit with a 3-1 win in Italy. Wisla Krakow and Glasgow Rangers were both negotiated in the next couple of rounds and by the quarter-finals, Parma were making head turns after they demolished Bordeaux 7-2 on aggregate with an impressive 6-0 victory at the Tardini. All that stood in their way from another UEFA Cup final were Spanish giants Atletico Madrid. But the Ducali made short work of the Colchoneros, brushing them aside with an impressive 3-1 victory at the Vicente Calderon before finishing the job off with a 2-1 win at home. Unlike Parma’s last UEFA Cup triumph in 1995, the final in 1999 was a one legged affair on a neutral ground. Malesani’s men travelled to the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow in confident mood. Boasting one of the most feared strike partnerships in Europe in Hernan Crespo and Enrico Chiesa Parma weren’t bad in defence either, being able to call upon Fabio Cannavaro and Lilian Thuram, not to mention Italy number one Gianluigi Buffon. Parma had every right to go into this final buoyant. Awaiting the Italians in the final were French League 1 runners up Marseille who had a fair bit of talent at their disposal too, Robert Pires and Laurent Blanc being two stellar names in particular. It was shaping up to be a classic European Final. Although it’s usually Italian teams associated with playing ‘negatively’, it was Marseille who started very cautiously. They were duly punished as Parma’s golden boy, Hernan Crespo, put the Gialloblu in front after he nonchalantly lobbed Stephane Porato in the Marseille goal. Some 10 minutes later the game was all but over as Paolo Vanoli got on the end of Diego Fusers cross to put Parma 2-0 up before half time. In the second-half, one of the Crociati’s standout performers on the night, Lilian Thuram, flew down the right wing and picked out Juan Sebastian Veron. The Argentine then chipped the ball into the box for Crespo to dummy and Enrico Chiesa was there to fire a volley home from 12 yards making it 3-0 just before the hour mark. It was quite a performance from Malesani’s men who dominated from the first whistle to the last. This was Parma at their zenith. Following this golden era things took a turn for the worst as Tanzi’s Parmalat empire crumbled. With it went the Parma side that conquered Europe in the 1990’s…twice. By Giovanni Dougall @giovannid86 (This was a piece done for The Gentleman Ultra earlier in the year, @Gentleman_Ultra, thegentlemanultra.com) Parma came away from the Stadio Carlo Castellani with a point this afternoon and almost undeservedly ended up with all three, in this exciting encounter in Tuscany. With the home side pretty much safe as they sit 10 points clear of the relegation zone and troubled Parma sitting rock bottom there wasn’t a great deal to play for this afternoon, that probably helped make this such an entertaining fixture with the pressure off both teams could just go out and play their football. Parma were hoping to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Genoa in mid-week putting an end to The Ducali’s three match unbeaten run. Roberto Donadoni had to do without the suspended Cristobal Jorquera, Donadoni did however welcome Jose Mauri back into the starting line-up after taking a place on the bench against Genoa. As for Empoli they were missing important midfielder Simone Verdi. The hosts started the game stronger and Massimo Maccarone almost opened the scoring against his former employers but the veteran sent his header wide and into the side net. Surprisingly it was Parma who took the lead thanks to a Francesco Lodi strike in the 19th minute after various opportunities were blocked Lodi came in striking the ball in to the far corner. Empoli got back on level terms on the half hour mark and it was a well-deserved equaliser, Riccardo Saponara got away down the left getting the better of Mattia Cassani he squared the ball for Maccarone who slipped the ball past the diving Mirante to square things up. Empoli were very much on top for the first half and as the half drew to a close they took the lead as Lorenzo Tonelli got on the end of a Mirko Valdifiori corner to bullet his header of the underside of the bar and in to the net, Mirante stood no chance. Straight after the re start Empoli almost went 3-1 up but Antonio Mirante was at his brilliant best first saving from Saponara then getting straight back up to spectacularly turn Daniele Croce’s header over the bar. As Empoli dominated Croce should have done better as his effort hit the side netting, he really should have at least tested Mirante. Parma never gave up and got their equalizer against the run of play, as Massimo Coda’s strike was deflected onto the bar. Ishak Belfodil was there to finish, scoring his first Serie A goal in almost two years. Parma pressed and Abdelkader Ghezzal almost gave the visitors a surprise win but his effort sailed over the bar and a draw was how this one ended. Teams Empoli – Sepe, Laurini, Rugani, Tonelli, Mario Rui, Vecino (Zielinski, 78), Valdifiori (Signorelli, 64), Croce, Saponara, Maccarone, Pucciarelli (Tavano, 83). Parma – Mirante, Cassani, Costa, Feddal, Varela, Jose Mauri, Lodi (Nocerino, 54), Lila (Belfodil, 69), Gobbi, Ghezzal, Coda. By Giovanni Dougall @giovannid86 With the games coming thick and fast Parma haven’t had much time to celebrate their monumental victory over champions Juventus on Saturday night.
The Ducali travel to Genoa tomorrow evening to play the last of their postponed games due to financial trouble. Roberto Donadoni’s men will arrive at the Luigi Ferrari stadium in confident mood, the draw against Inter was seen as an embarrassment to many, the victory against Udinese a week ago perhaps a fluke, but Saturdays win against Juventus will have made the rest of Serie A take note, Parma aren’t finished yet. Parma will have to do without, Alessandro Lucarelli, Daniele Galloppa and McDonald Mariga all of whom miss out through injury, there are also doubts over, Antonio Mirante, Jose Mauri, Andrea Costa and Andi Lila, all four are expected to make it though. Genoa got back on track at the weekend as they overcame struggling Cagliari 2-0, and Gian Piero Gasperini will be hoping Il Grifone can build on this as victory over Parma would see them leapfrog both Milan clubs and Torino leaving them in seventh place, five points off city rivals Sampdoria. Gasperini will be without number one Mattia Perin again as well as Luca Antonini, Tino Costa and Lorenzo Ariaudo. With Andrea Bertoacci a minor doubt. Parma have only one once on the road this season but with their new found belief and enthusiasm they will believe they can change that come tomorrow night. Alessandro Matri broke Parma hearts the last time these two sides met back in October as his 93rd minute strike sealed a 1-2 win for Genoa at the Ennio Tardini. You can’t help but feel the Parma side they came up against that day will be shadow of the one they go toe to toe with tomorrow night. Probable Line-up’s Genoa – Lamanna, Roncaglia, Burdisso, De Maio, Marchese, Rincon, Bertolacci, Edenilson, Niang, Perotti, Falque. Parma – Mirante, Santacroce, Mendes, Feddal, Gobbi, Nocerino, Jorquera, Lila, Varela, Belfodil, Ghezzal. Bu Giovanni Dougall @giovannid86 Bottom of the table and bankrupt but Parma sure are going out with a bang. After last weekends draw away to Inter and Wednesday nights triumph at home to Udinese, tonight saw Parma cause the biggest upset of the season as the champions rolled into town. Parma were again missing captain Alessandro Lucarelli who sat out his final game of his three match ban. As for Max Allegri he rang the changes as Carlos Tevez and Andrea Barzagli sat out with minor injuries along with Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba, Gianluigi Buffon, Kwadwo Asamoah, Romulo and Martin Caceres. The Ennio Tardini was packed for this old rivalry and the home side started the brighter as they looked to build on their recent good form, although it would be Antonio Mirante who would be called into action first as he streched to deny Roberto Pereyra. Ishak Belfodil was unlucky not to open his account for the season as he saw his effort beat Marco Storari as it licked the paint as it flew over the bar. Arturo Vidal almost opened the scoring on the half hour mark as he found himself unmarked at the back post, heading a Claudio Marchisio freekick towards goal only to be superbly denied by Mirante's left boot. As the half drew to a close Mirante was at it again this time kepping out a Kingslay Coman effort at his near post. Parma again started the second half brightly, holding Juventus to long distance drives firstly Marchisio dragged his 20 yard effort wide follewed by Coman who blasted high and wide keeping the score level. The Tardini would explode with joy on the hour mark as Ishak Belfodil burst down the right, squaring for Jose Mauri to place the ball in the top corner from the edge of the box, it was a special goal from a special young player. With just ten minutes left on the clock, the Parma faithful would be on their feet again as Jose Mauri was replaced by Andi Lila, Mauri ran the show in the middle of the park today, Parma may not be in Serie A next season but this kid surly will be. It was a mammoth effort from Donadoni's men as players were falling all over the park with cramp. Juventus continued to pour forward as time was running out but failed to really create a true goalscoring chance. However Parma and Donadoni held on for a truely historic win for The Ducali. Line-ups Parma; Mirante, Santacroce (Cassani, 80), Mendes, Feddal, Varela, Jose Mauri (Lila, 82), Jorquera, Nocerino, Gobbi, Ghezzal, Belfodil (Prestia, 86) Juventus; Storari, Lichtstiener, Chiellini, Ogbonna, Padoin, Vidal, Marchisio, Sturaro (Pepe, 66) Pereyra (Morata, 63), Coman (Vitale, 80), Llorente. By Giovanni Dougall @giovannid86 Parma will be looking to build on recent impressive performances as they host champions elect Juventus on Saturday evening. The Ducali, who sit rock bottom of Serie A, certently aren't going down without a fight. Roberto Donadoni's side heeped misery on Roberto Mancini last weekend as they came away from Milan with a point, and could easily have been more. Parma followed that up by defeating Udinese on Wednesday night. Juventus may have hammered Parma 7-0 in the revese fixture back in November, if Parma play like they have been The Old Lady may be if for a more challanging time on Saturday night. Depite these recent performances Parma still lack in fire power and Ishak Belfodil will be looking to break his duck for the season. Alessandro Lucareli sits out his final game of his three match ban, Juventus will have to do without Paul Pogba and there are doubts over Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez and Stephan Lichtsteiner. With the title all but wrapped up, Parma will be hoping Max Allegri will have one eye on the massive Champions League game against Monaco in mid week in order to cause another surprise in Serie A. With the future of Parma very much uncertain this may be the last time we see these old fierce rivals go head to head for quite some time. It will also be an emotional day for Gianluigi Buffon as this will probably be his last outing at the Tardini, the stadium where he made his name all those years ago. With the pressure pretty much off both teams now, we are sure to be in for an entertaining afternoons football in Parma to kick off this weekends Serie A action. Roberto Donadoni will very much be out for revenge for the humiliating 7-0 destruction at the hands of Juvemtus back in November. Probable Teams Parma; Mirante, Feddal, Costa, Mendes, Gobbi, Nocerino, Jorquera, Mauri, Varela, Belfodil, Coda. Juventus; Buffon, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini, Lichtsteiner, Marchisio, Pirlo, Vidal, Pereyra, De Ceglie, Llorente, Morata. By Giovanni Dougall @giovannid86 Many Inter fans thought this was going to be a case of turning up and demolishing lowly Parma, this wouldn't be the case however, as The Ducali came away from the Giuseppe Meazza with a well deserved point against Roberto Mancini's struggling Nerazzurri. Parma had to do without club captain Alessandro Lucarelli for this one as he began his three match ban, Roberto Donadoni was able to welcome back the trio of Antonio Mirante, Massimo Gobbi and Jose Mauri. As for Inter they had to do without Mauro Icardi and Nemanja Vidic. It was a dire start to the game, Inter having most of the play early on but doing very little with it. Despite half chances for Silvestre Varela and Cristobal Jorquera in the opening stages, Inter would take the lead thanks to a Fredy Guarin long range strike which took a wicked deflection off Jose Mauri to beat Antonio Mirante in the Parma goal. Parma's heads could easily have went down but with Inter being so poor they knew they could get back into the game. Andrea Costa almost levelled the game but his free kick was turned over bu Samir Handanovic. Donadoni's men did get back on level terms just before the break and deservedly so, Albanian, Andi Lila go on the end of a Varela cross to power his header past the helpless Handanovic. The jeers rang round this famous old ground as referee Peruzzo brought the half to a close. Inter again had the majority of play in the second half, but the absence of Icardi was notable as they struggled to break down Parma's resiliant defence. Mancini brought on Matteo Kovacic for the disapointing Puscas, he should have done better as the substitute headed wide from a Juan Jesus cross on the 53rd minute. As Inter's frustration began to grow, Parma began to get more confident and had chances to go on and win the game, most notably when ex Inter man Ishak Belfodil failed to play in Ghezzal on the counter attack. Inter began to pile on the pressure in the closing minutes but Parma's resiliant defence managed to stand firm as the left Milan with a well deserved point. Teams Inter; Handanovic, Santon, Ranocchia ,Felipe (Podolski, 76), Juan Jesus, Guarin, Medel, Brozovic, Shaqiri (Hernanes, 89), Palacio, Puscas (Kovacic, 45) Parma; Mirante, Gobbi, Costa, Mendes, Feddal, Jose Mauri, Jorquera (Cassani, 83), Lila (Ghezzal, 45), Nocerino, Varela, Belfodil (Coda, 77) Ref; S. Peruzzo By Giovanni Dougall @giovannid88 The Ducali return to the field this weekend after the International break, with relegation all but confirmed. Roberto Donadoni's men make the short trip north to Milan on Saturday facing Roberto Mancini's stuttering Inter side.
Mancini's men have only one one of their last five outings, having lost two and drawn two. The Nerazzuri will have welcomed the recent international break in order to re group, and will be hoping to bounce back against a stuggling Parma side. Parma will once again be playing for nothing but pride, with the club officially declared bankrupt and the future looking bleak. If that wasn't bad enough Roberto Donadoni will have to do without his inspirational leader an club captain, Alessandro Lucarelli, the veteran picking up the eight red card of his career in Parma's last outing where they lost 2-0 at home to Torino. One positive for The Ducali is that they welcome back the trio of Antonio Mirante, Massimo Gobbi and the talanted, young Jose Mauri who all missed out throught suspension last time out. As for Roberto Mancini, he will have to do without start striker Mauro Icardi and veteran stopper Nemanja Vidic both of whom sit out with suspenstions. The last time these two sides met back in November, Parma ended a horrendous run of six staright defeats by conquering The Nerazzuri thanks to a Paolo De Ceglie double at The Tardini, Parma no longer have De Ceglie in their ranks so will be looking to Inter old boy Ishak Belfodil to finally find his goal scoring touch as he returns to The Guiseppe Meazza. Probable Teams Inter; Handanovic, Santon, Juan Jesus, Ranocchia, D'Ambrosio, Medel, Guarin, Kovacic, Shaqiri, Podolski, Palacio Parma; Mirante, Cassani, Santacroce, Mendes, Costa, Lila, Nocerino, Mauri, Varela, Coda, Belfodil By Giovanni Dougall @giovannid86 |
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