Parma welcome Torino to Stadio Ennio Tardini on Sunday evening hoping to put daylight between themselves and the relegation zone, while the Granata aim to keep their faint European hopes alive. Both sides come into the match level on 39 points after 31 rounds, so the stakes could hardly be higher.
Recent form favors the visitors: Torino have taken seven points from their last three away fixtures, including a statement win at Lazio, whereas Parma have managed only one victory in their previous six league outings. Ivan Juric’s men also boast the division’s fifth-best defensive record (29 goals conceded), a statistic that contrasts sharply with Parma’s 45 goals shipped—second-worst among the current bottom half.
Team news tilts the needle further toward Turin. Parma remain without suspended centre-back Simon Sohm and creative spark Valentin Mihaila, both integral to Roberto D’Aversa’s transitional game. Torino, by contrast, expect to recall star striker Andrea Belotti after a minor thigh strain; the captain has six goals in his last eight appearances against Emilian opposition.
Expected line-ups hint at contrasting styles. Parma will likely start in a cautious 4-3-3 designed to crowd midfield turnovers, with Hernani and Kurtic screening the back four. Torino should mirror their familiar 3-4-2-1, allowing wing-backs Singo and Vojvoda to stretch the pitch and supply Belotti, supported by the inventive duo of Pobega and Lukic.
Key tactical duel: Parma’s 19-year-old left-back Woyjeck Golla versus Torino’s rampaging right wing-back Wilfried Singo. If Golla can neutralize Singo’s overlapping runs, Parma may expose the space behind Torino’s back three on quick counters. Failure to do so, however, will invite sustained pressure and set-piece opportunities—Torino have scored six goals from corners since February.
Betting markets price a Torino win at 2.15, with the draw at 3.30 and a Parma upset at 3.60. Expected-goals models project 1.2 xG for Parma and 1.6 for Torino, aligning with a narrow away victory. Yet derby-style tension and Parma’s desperation could compress the contest into a one-goal margin.
Score prediction: Parma 1-2 Torino. Belotti to break the deadlock before a late Dennis Man equalizer, only for Pobega to snatch a decisive strike on 82 minutes.
