With both sides sitting on nine points, which is exactly their distance behind safety, this is without a doubt the final chance for one of the two teams to keep their survival hopes alive. Buoyed by the arrival of three quality players, Parma appear to be closer to winning the relegation six-pointer on Sunday afternoon.

Not as bad as the results would suggest

Even if they were eventually banned from taking part in Europa League, Parma did brilliantly to achieve a top 6 finish in Italian Serie A last term, leaving the likes of Milan and Lazio to trail in their wake. However, serious financial problems have destabilised the team this season as I Ducali now sit deep in the relegation zone even if the squad is not too much weaker than last term. The lack of confidence has seriously affected the team of late, but even if they currently sit nine points behind safety, they have reason for optimism. First of all, everybody can see that there is plenty of room for improvement, with the likes of Paletta, Lodi and Cassano expected to start pulling their weight, while the arrival of several quality players could help Parma kick-start their season. January recruits Antonio Nocerino, Silvestre Varela and Cristian Rodriguez have all joined during the past week and no doubt the trio has enough quality to take this team forward. I Ducali will have a perfect opportunity to return to winning ways as they play host to relegation rivals Cesena and I can certainly see them winning on Sunday.

Alessandro Lucarelli is banned, while Afriyie Acquah and Ishak Belfodil are away on international duty. Jonathan Biabiany, Massimo Coda, Abdelkader Ghezzal, Cristobal Jorquera and Andi Lila are out injured.

Last chance for Cesena

Unlike their more illustrious opponents, Cesena played their football in Serie B last term and only gained promotion through the play-offs. But, rather than seriously reinforcing the squad over the summer, the club management were only able to sign a handful of quality players, so nobody was surprised to see Cavallucci Marini languish in the relegation zone. Cesena did defeat Parma in the opening Serie A fixture, but that remains their sole win of the campaign, meaning the team are winless in last 18 matches. And having only taken two points from the road this season, Mimmo Di Carlo’s charges have little to hope for ahead of the clash with Parma. And while their next opponents have been playing well below their potential, it is clear that Cesena don’t have enough quality to escape the bottom three, and, with that in mind, they will struggle to match very motivated I Ducali. Oddly enough, the Cavallucci Marini have scored in each of their last five away fixtures, but they also conceded 12 goals during that period.

Giuseppe De Feudis misses out through suspension, whereas Guido Marilungo, Andrea Tabanelli, Davide Succi and Luca Valzania are out injured.

Verdict

Parma clearly have more potential than they are showing and the three January arrivals could be just what the team need to turn this season around. Cesena, on the other hand, have been utterly disappointing this term and I just cannot see them getting anything from Ennio Tardini.

Top pick: Home win   1.67 (2/3) @ William Hill

Alternative pick 1: Parma/Parma   2.60 (8/5) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 2: Parma to win to nil   2.50 (3/2) @ SkyBet