Wednesday’s Serie A program kicks off at Stadio Diego Maradona as title-bidding Napoli take on bottom-half Parma. Despite fighting on the opposite sides of the table, both teams desperately need points tonight.

Napoli showcased their powers of recovery in Sunday’s mouth-watering away clash against bitter title rivals Inter. Indeed, Antonio Conte’s side fought back twice to hold the Nerazzurri to a goal-glutted 2-2 draw at Stadio San Siro.

Scott McTominay bagged his first Serie A double of the season, stepping up when his side needed him most to prove his MVP credentials. However, an ill-tempered second half saw referee Daniele Doveri send off Conte, who’s now serving a two-game touchline ban.

Like their opponents, Parma faced an early deficit in their away match against fellow bottom-half strugglers Lecce. Yet, Carlos Cuesta’s side seized a numerical advantage at Stadio Via del Mare to pick up a precious 2-1 victory and steer seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Though the visitors should be brimming with confidence, there’s no room for complacency. As if they needed a reminder of who they’re up against, Parma have failed to beat Napoli across their last four league meetings (D1, L3), drawing a blank on three occasions.

Match Preview

Napoli

Despite being without Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne for most of the season, Napoli have discovered their scoring touch lately. Indeed, the hosts have netted precisely two goals in their last six outings across all competitions (W4, D2), including the above-mentioned draw against Inter.

That result saw Napoli finish the weekend four points adrift of the top spot in Serie A. Sitting third in the standings, narrowly behind Inter and Milan, Conte’s men enter this round on a four-game unbeaten league run (W2, D2). Yet, their last home fixture produced a 2-2 draw against Hellas Verona.

Despite that setback, the reigning Scudetto holders are unbeaten at the Maradona Stadium in Serie A since December 2024 (W14, D5). Furthermore, they’ve scored multiple goals in their last three home league matches, suggesting this could be a long evening for Parma’s fragile backline.

Taking a halftime lead could be a decisive moment for Napoli, who boast a stunning 100% win ratio in Serie A games when going in front at halftime (W13). It would also ease tensions at the Maradona Stadium, where they’ve not drawn any of their 12 league clashes against Parma since December 2000 (W8, L4).

Parma

Parma’s mid-season resurgence has seen them steer away from the drop zone on the back of four wins from their last eight league matches (D1, L3). As a result, they’ve built a healthy lead over 17th-placed Fiorentina, though that doesn’t mean they can afford to rest on their laurels.

The visitors can draw confidence from their remarkable exploits on the road, with 57% of their Serie A points this season arriving away from Stadio Ennio Tardini (W3, D3, L3). Moreover, the Crusaders have emerged victorious from three of their last four away league games (D1), though each game came against bottom-half opposition.

Interestingly, Parma’s recent Serie A road fixtures have produced an early opener, with four of their last five such contests seeing the deadlock broken within 20 minutes. However, entertainment has been relatively sparse, as six of their seven most recent league outings have featured under 2.5 goals.

Cuesta probably wouldn’t mind another low-scoring game as long as his side avoid defeat here for only the second time in the 21st century.

Team News

In addition to Lukaku and De Bruyne, Napoli will be without starting midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Stanislav Lobotka’s deputy, Billy Gilmour. On the bright side, in-form winger David Neres has returned to full fitness, though he’s more likely to come off the bench. Meanwhile, Juan Jesus serves a one-game ban after accumulating yellow cards on Sunday.

As for Parma, Matija Frigan, Zion Suzuki, and Abdoulaye Ndiaye remain on the treatment table. Indeed, the visitors’ injury list has shortened, yet they’re still unable to call upon Swedish forward Pontus Almqvist and Norwegian fullback Mathias Lovik.

Napoli vs Parma Potential Starting Lineups

Napoli (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Politano, Lobotka, McTominay, Spinazzola; Elmas, Lang; Hojlund.

Parma (4-2-3-1): Corvi; Del Prato, Circati, Valenti, Valeri; Bernabe, Keita, Sorensen; Ondrejka, Benedyczak; Pellegrino.

Napoli vs Parma Prediction

Despite Parma’s superb away form, this is still a must-win fixture for Napoli, who should pick up all three points even without Conte in the dugout. However, we expect the Crusaders to give their more esteemed hosts a run for their money. A one-goal margin victory for the Partenpei seems likely.

Prediction: Napoli to Win