Genoa vs Parma

Genoa face off against Parma in a match up of sides sitting in the wrong half of the Serie A league table. The two sides are separated by just two points with Genoa currently in 15^th place with 16 points just behind Torino on goal difference. The visiting Parma are in 12^th place with 18 points and are just behind AC Milan on goal difference.

The grifone are coming off of a 1-1 draw away to Empoli last week at the Stadio Carlo Castellani. That result has stretched their winless run now to 9 matches. Their last win was a 2-0 victory over Cagliari in mid October. The side managed by Gasperini will have a couple of important absences this week especially in the back line. In addition to the suspended Nova, both Danilo and Bega are out. At this time Gasperini is leaning towards keeping his 3-4-3 formation with De Rosa and Santos coming on to fill in the holes in the 3 man back line. On a bright note striker Di Vaio is available and will start on the bench.

Parma come into week 17 having held serve at home in their last match with a convincing 3-0 victory over Reggina at the Tardini stadium. Defensively they have been playing very strong at home, having posted back to back shut outs over Empoli and Reggina. The problem has been scoring away from home which they have not been able to do in their last two road contests. In fact, Parma are winless on the road all season. This week manager Di Carlo looks set to repeat the same starting eleven that got the job done a week ago. It will feature the usual 4-4-2 with Bernardo Corradi joined by Gasbarroni upfront and goal scoring defender Paci at the back. Both Paci and Falcone will have their hands full this week with Genoa’s Borriello who has already scored 7 goals this season.

Genoa are anything but a lock at home with just 2 wins in 8 matches so far. However, Parma have yet to win a single match away from home this season managing instead just 2 draws and 5 losses. Despite these numbers, Parma are certainly the side in best form and the fact that Genoa will be using a make shift defense could prove crucial. Look for Parma to hold out for at least a point.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)