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

Continuing their quest for Champions League football, Roma will visit Parma on Sunday evening, as Serie A's top-four race nears its finale.

Having taken full advantage of their rivals slipping up last week, the Giallorossi are within touching distance of a seat at Europe's top table.

Match preview

New Italian champions Inter Milan have booked their spot, with Napoli and AC Milan well set to join them, so Roma are battling Juventus and Como to claim Serie A's final Champions League place.

After the latter pair both drew last weekend, the Giallorossi responded with an emphatic 4-0 defeat of Fiorentina on Monday, leaving them just one point shy of the top four.

Though main man Donyell Malen failed to find the target, Roma played with the attacking cohesion usually associated with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who recently won a big power struggle in the capital.

The departure of director Claudio Ranieri has clearly strengthened Gasperini's position in the dugout, as he tries to replicate a decade of unprecedented success with Atalanta.

Though his team face a fairly straightforward run-in, it does feature a Derby della Capitale against Lazio, so there will be pressure not to drop any points on Sunday.

Still trailing fourth-placed Juventus - and only two points clear of Como - they will aim to continue a prolonged purple patch in front of goal.

Fuelled by Malen's clinical finishing and clever link play, Roma have scored in their last dozen league matches, averaging 2.1 goals per game - only Inter have fared better during that period.

However, before heading to Emilia-Romagna, they remain wildly inconsistent on the road, having both won and lost eight times so far - and half those defeats have come from their last six away days.

Recent history will be on the visitors' side, though, as Parma have lost all three meetings since returning to Serie A by an 8-1 aggregate scoreline.

Still threatened by relegation when they were beaten 2-1 in October's reverse fixture, much has changed over the subsequent months, and Carlos Cuesta's team are already 'on the beach'.

Now occupying 12th place, the Emilian club recently sealed top-flight survival by winning back-to-back games without conceding.

After beating both Udinese and Pisa 1-0, they were guests at Inter's title party last weekend, when a 2-0 defeat at San Siro ended their four-match unbeaten streak.

Still only 30, rookie coach Cuesta is enjoying an impressive debut campaign at senior level, and his side have lost just one of their last five home fixtures.

While they average below one goal per game, Parma tend to keep things tight at the other end, but Roma will surely put them through a tough test this weekend.

Parma Serie A form:

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Roma Serie A form:

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Team News

In addition to Evan Ferguson, whose season was ended prematurely by an ankle injury, Roma are still missing Lorenzo Pellegrini, Bryan Zaragoza and Artem Dovbyk.

Stephan El Shaarawy (adductor) and reserve goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini (hip) have trained separately due to minor muscular problems, but neither has been ruled out of Sunday's game.

A revelation since arriving midway through January, with 11 goals from his first 15 Serie A appearances, Malen will lead the visitors' attack.

Though Paulo Dybala is fit again, Matias Soule and Niccolo Pisilli are favourites to support the Dutch striker, particularly after the latter scored against Fiorentina last time out.

Meanwhile, Parma's main man is Mateo Pellegrino, who has registered eight league goals this season.

Cuesta generally prefers to pair Pellegrino with Gabriel Strefezza in a 3-5-2 formation, though French forward Nesta Elphege has scored in two of his last three appearances.

The hosts have an almost full squad available, as only Benjamin Cremaschi and long-term absentee Matija Frigan are currently sidelined.

Parma possible starting lineup:

Suzuki; Circati, Troilo, Ndiaye; Delprato, Keita, Nicolussi Caviglia, Bernabe, Valeri; Strefezza, Pellegrino

Roma possible starting lineup:

Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Celik, Cristante, Kone, Wesley; Soule, Pisilli; Malen

We say: Parma 0-1 Roma

Although Parma are well organised and can frustrate Italy's top teams, Roma have found a good rhythm and will be more motivated than their mid-table hosts.

Gasperini now has several attacking weapons at his disposal, whereas Cuesta cannot call upon such quality in the final third.

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