Parma – Como

Italy – Serie B, day 10

Sunday 20/10/23, h20:30 

First seasonal fall for Parma, caught off guard at Venezia's (3-2) during the last leg. In that occasion, the front-runner of Serie B suffered a remarkably negative second half (3 goals conceded, there were 4 in total in the previous 8 games), but no need to panic: Parma are still leading the table, demonstrated consistency all over these weeks (fighting til the very end even when defeated) and sooner or later a sporadic halt must have been taken into account. Benedyczak (6 goals already) is clearly among the top players of the championship, while Bernabé guarantees a rare quality of playmaking. If coach Pecchia manages to take measures in defense, Parma's march can safely restart.

The most recent home defeat against Cremonese (1-3) has resized Como's ambitions as potential outsider of the league. Nevertheless, today the team is 5th with an extra game yet to be played. This is still beyond any expactation: much of the credit to coach Longo, who managed to reinforce the positive trend of last spring and leveled up the mentality of his squad. Como's roster, technically, is not among the very best but is compensating with significant chemistry and tactical organization: any player is eligible to score (the defender Ioannou and the striker Cutrone both lead with 3), any opponent can suffer their aggressive game-style (7 points gained against Bari, Spezia and Sampdoria). Now a huge challenge ahead, in the toughest arena of Serie B right now.

Parma have always won against Como at Stadio Tardini in recent history (1-0 last year). The Yellow-and-blue are still undefeated at home this season and look for a strong reaction after their misstep in Venice. Como know how to find a victory on the road (2 in 4 games so far), but even a single point, considering the overall gap between the two lineups, would be precious this Friday.