Preview: Sassuolo vs. Parma - prediction, team news, lineups

Two sides from the Emilia-Romagna region face off at the Mapei Stadium on Saturday as Sassuolo host Parma in their opening Serie A match of 2026.

Separated by six places in the table heading into gameweek 18, the promoted Neroverdi are outsiders for European qualification, while the 15th-placed visitors have yet to establish a comfortable gap from the bottom three.

Match preview

Fresh off holding Bologna to a 1-1 draw, Sassuolo play another regional rival to start the year, aiming to end a month-long wait for maximum points.

Although their ongoing three-match winless run includes draws away at AC Milan (2-2) and Bologna (1-1), Fabio Grosso’s team winning 3-1 at bottom-placed Fiorentina on December 6 remains the Neroverdi’s only league victory in six matches, with their other triumph preceding the ongoing run coming in Bergamo, where they beat Atalanta 3-0.

Having previously looked to have a strong claim to pushing for a top-six spot, Sassuolo’s recent run has seen those aspirations slide somewhat, with the Black and Greens side sitting ninth in the table, five points off Como in sixth.

Nonetheless, the Neroverdi’s start to the season on their return has been commendable, as they not only outrank other promoted teams — Cremonese are 12th and Pisa are second bottom — but are not totally out of the European conversation as the campaign nears its halfway point.

However, Grosso’s men must improve their results on home turf — they have lost four of their eight games at the Mapei Stadium — to boost their prospects of playing continental football in the 2026-27 season.

Aiming to put a dampener on any glimmer of optimism, Parma head to their regional rivals fresh from notching a fourth win of the season.

While four wins from 16 looks dismal on paper, which it is if the raw data is only assessed, three of those victories coming in the Gialloblu’s past five matches highlight the improvement for Carlos Cuesta's troops.

With nine of their 17 points accrued in just five rounds, Cuesta's side are seventh in the form table across the most recent gameweeks, significantly superior to Saturday’s hosts, who have secured only five points from an available 15 during the same period.

Further strengthening their optimism are the past two away results in Serie A: a 2-1 win at Hellas Verona and a 1-0 victory at Pisa, and the Emilians now seek a third consecutive victory on their travels.

Recent history does not favour Parma, however, with the Gialloblu failing to win in their previous two meetings with Sassuolo, securing one point from six in the 2020-21 season.

While their recent wins have taken them out of immediate danger, Cuesta's men are still only five points clear of 18th-placed Verona, underlining the importance of continuing their positive sequence of results.

Sassuolo Serie A form:

Parma Serie A form:

Parma form (all competitions):

Team News

Woyo Coulibaly is absent as he is currently representing Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco; however, missing out for Sassuolo due to injury are Domenico Berardi (muscle), Yeferson Paz (hip), Edoardo Pieragnolo (knee), Daniel Boloca (knee) and Filippo Romagna (calf).

Although two of Andrea Pinamonti’s four league goals have been match-winning efforts, all four strikes have been away from home, and it remains to be seen if the forward ends his drought without scoring at the Mapei Stadium.

Apart from the Italian, who has also contributed two assists this season, Armand Lauriente also carries a threat as seen in his game-levelling assist against Bologna, bringing him to three goals and three assists in 2025-26.

Missing through injury for Parma are Matija Frigan (knee), Abdoulaye Ndiaye (groin) and Zion Suzuki (finger).

While Mateo Pellegrino is not as prolific on the road as league-leading Christian Pulisic (six), two of the forward’s four league strikes have been away from home.

With only one Gialloblu player, Adrian Bernabe, scoring more than once this term, the onus on the away side’s leading scorer to be decisive is magnified.

Sassuolo possible starting lineup:

Muric; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Muharemovic, Doig; Thorstvedt, Matic, Kone; Volpato, Pinamonti, Lauriente

Parma possible starting lineup:

Corvi; Del Prato, Circati, Valenti, Valeri; Bernabe, Keita, Sorensen; Ondrejka, Benedyczak; Pellegrino

We say: Sassuolo 1-1 Parma

Considering that they have won just one of their last five as hosts, Sassuolo may struggle to overcome their poor home form against a resurgent Parma side that have secured three victories in five matches, including two on the spin on the road.

A closely contested draw appears the most likely outcome as the visitors look to maintain their positive momentum on their travels.

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