Preview:Parma vs Spezia - prediction, team news, lineups

Battling it out for a place in the last 16, Parma and Spezia will meet for a Coppa Italia clash on Wednesday evening.

The two struggling sides will convene at Stadio Tardini, with both yet to win a league game.

Match preview

After surviving relegation last season, Parma have made a sluggish start to their latest Serie A campaign, going winless through their first four fixtures.

The Emilian club have collected just two points from 12 available, with one coming against newly promoted Cremonese on Sunday.

Though Mateo Pellegrino twice came close to breaking the deadlock - most notably hitting the post with a header - Parma ultimately had to settle for a 0-0 draw at Stadio Zini.

It may be very early in his reign, but Carlos Cuesta’s side sit within Serie A's bottom three, with just a single goal scored so far.

Pellegrino did bag a brace in August, though, as Parma progressed through their first test in the Coppa Italia, beating Pescara 2-0 on home turf.

Now, the Crociati face another Serie B side in round two, as they scrap with Spezia for a last-16 tie against cup holders Bologna.

While their hosts are three-time winners of the Coppa, modest Spezia have never come close to lifting the trophy in Rome.

The pair most recently met in Serie B during the 2023-24 season, when Parma won both games without conceding a goal, and the Aquilotti have failed to win any of their last seven meetings.

Beaten playoff finalists in May, Spezia's start to the new season has been relatively underwhelming, as they struggle to shake off the disappointment of missing out on Serie A.

Though they edged past Sampdoria with a penalty-shootout win in the cup, two defeats and two draws have followed - losing 3-1 to Juve Stabia last week left them 18th in Italy's second tier.

By contrast, the Ligurian side only lost six times last term, which was a league-low tally alongside champions Sassuolo.

Head coach Luca D'Angelo is now enduring his worst run of results since arriving at Stadio Picco in late 2023, so knocking top-flight opponents out of the Coppa Italia is a big ask.

Parma Coppa Italia form:

Parma form (all competitions):

W L D L D

Spezia Coppa Italia form:

Spezia form (all competitions):

W L D D L

Team News

Sure to make several changes to his Parma side, Cuesta's priority will be next week's league clash with Torino.

The former Arsenal assistant could bring Gaetano Oristanio or veteran striker Milan Djuric into his ailing attack, while Polish winger Adrian Benedyczak is also vying for a start.

Though Hernani and Lautaro Valenti may both return to the squad after sitting out Sunday's draw with Cremonese, Jacob Ondrejka and Matija Frigan are long-term absentees.

Much like their hosts, Spezia are sure to have one eye on an important league fixture, as they must visit Venezia on Saturday.

Rotation is highly likely, so Parma-owned Rachid Kouda midfielder and Peru international Gianluca Lapadula will be among several men pushing for promotion from the bench.

Como loanee Fellipe Jack is heading to Chile for the Under-20s World Cup, while injured midfielders Pietro Candelari and Filippo Bandinelli are also set to miss out.

Parma possible starting lineup:

Corvi; Delprato, Circati, Troilo; Lovik, Ordonez, Cremaschi, Sorensen, Valeri; Oristanio, Djuric

Spezia possible starting lineup:

Mascardi; Candela, Wisniewski, Hristov, Mateju, Aurelio; Esposito, Kouda, Zurkowski; Lapadula, Vlahovic