Parma vs Monza

Stadio Ennio Tardini sets the stage for a first-ever Serie A showdown between Parma and Monza.

Parma’s last away league match of 2024 was an unmitigated disaster as Roma thumped them 5-0, condemning them to a third consecutive defeat in Serie A. As a result, Fabio Pecchia’s side head into the calendar year finale only a point clear of the bottom three, largely thanks to their notorious defensive leaks. Indeed, only Hellas Verona (40) have conceded more goals than Parma’s 33 in Serie A this term, with 11 arriving across their last three outings! The impending home return can’t inspire much confidence either, considering the Crusaders have only won two of their nine home league matches (D2, L5), losing three of their last four (W1). However, three of those four games featured over 3.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet, highlighting the potential for a high-scoring contest.

In the meantime, Monza sacked underperforming manager Alessandro Nesta immediately after a 2-1 loss at Juventus nailed them to the bottom of the Serie A table. Three consecutive league defeats left ‘I Biancorossi’ five points adrift of safety pre-round, contributing to Monza’s disastrous run of just one win from their last 26 top-flight outings (D10, L15). Since a 3-0 demolition of Verona in October, they’ve gone winless on four subsequent Serie A road trips (D2, L2), scoring a meager average of 0.75 goals per game! Furthermore, prone to sluggish starts, Salvatore Bocchetti’s men have conceded the opening goal across their last five competitive away matches, casting further doubts on their hopes of returning to winning ways.