Napoli will have all of the pressure on their shoulders when they travel to the Stadio Ennio Tardini to take on relegated Parma on Sunday.

Parma are bidding to restore some pride ahead of an uncertain summer for the club, while Napoli are desperate for a victory as they look to boost their bid for Champions League qualification.

Parma

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A disastrous season is just four games away from coming to an end for Parma, but the drama is far from over as their financial crisis continues.

Parma are still bidding to ensure that they can compete in Serie B next season after a campaign which has seen players and backroom staff go unpaid, and starting again at amateur level is still a realistic possibility for the club.

In truth, many of the players who have battled so admirably against the points deductions and other obstacles are unlikely to be at the club in August, whether they are playing in Serie B or not.

Ishak Belfofil, who was rumoured to be one of the highest-paid players at the club, agreed to the mutual termination of his contract earlier this week to leave Roberto Donadoni with one player fewer ahead of the final four games of the season.

Relegation may have seemed an inevitability before the 4-0 loss to Lazio a fortnight ago, but the club's supporters may have been expecting a response last week before they suffered the same fate against Cagliari.

Games against Napoli, Fiorentina, Hellas Verona and Sampdoria remain for Donadoni, who will be desperate to give their frustrated fans something to cheer about in the closing stages of a miserable season.

Recent form: WLDWLL

Napoli

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Rafael Benitez's side will be fighting fatigue this weekend as they continue their bid for success in Serie A and the Europa League following Thursday night's 1-1 draw with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the first leg of their semi-final.

Conceding a late away goal to the Ukrainian side means that the tie is delicately poised ahead of the second leg next week, but Benitez will be fully aware that his side must quickly switch focus to the trip to Parma.

Napoli will, of course, head into the match against a relegated side as firm favourites to collect all three points as they bid to close the gap on Roma and Lazio, who currently occupy the two Champions League qualification spots behind Juventus.

Lazio and Roma are four and five points better off respectively, and a slip-up at Parma could end Napoli's hopes of reaching Europe's elite club competition sooner than Benitez would have hoped.

Six points are fully expected from the next two games against Parma and Cesena, but some fans will already looking ahead to meetings with Juventus and Roma in the final two weeks of the campaign, and the target must be to still be in with a chance heading into those matches.

Despite having so much to play for late in the season, Benitez's own future appears to be edging closer to being resolved after talks suggested that he was in talks to sign a new three-year deal.

However, if disappointment in Serie A is followed by a semi-final disappointment in the Europa League, doubts could be raised about whether the Spaniard is the right man to take Napoli forward.

Recent form: LWWWLW
Recent form (all competitions): WDWLWD

Team News

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Despite needing a victory to keep the pressure on Roma and Lazio, Benitez could be tempted to freshen up his side following their efforts in midweek and Dries Mertens is likely to be handed a start.

Lorenzo Insigne or Jose Callejon could be handed a rest by the Napoli boss to make room for Mertens, while Manolo Gabbiadini and Walter Gargano are also in line for recalls.

Donadoni will be desperate to produce a reaction from his side after successive 4-0 losses, and there could be starts for Raffaele Palladino and Andi Lila.

Parma possible starting lineup:
Iacobucci, Gobbi, Costa, Mendes, Feddal, Jorquera, Mauri, Varela, Lila, Nocerino, Coda

Napoli possible starting lineup:
Andujar, Maggio, Albiol, Britos, Ghoulam, Gargano, Inler, Gabbiadini, Hamsik, Mertens, Higuain

Head To Head

Mertens and Duvan Zapata were on target in a 2-0 victory for Napoli when the two sides met in December after Benitez's side lost both games to Parma last season.

Napoli had won three games in a row before those losses, with Edinson Cavani, who has been linked with a return to the club, scoring in each of the three matches.

We say: Parma 0-3 Napoli

Napoli will be forced to rotate following their battle in the Europa League on Thursday night, but with confidence low at Parma, Benitez's attackers should have enough to record a comfortable win.

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