Parma vs Genoa: Serie A Strugglers Seek First Win of the Season

Two of Serie A’s strugglers meet at Ennio Tardini on Sunday, with Parma and Genoa both still hunting their first league win of the 2026-27 campaign and already feeling the weight of the table.

Both have only tasted victory in the cups. Both are stuck in neutral. Something has to give – or perhaps, given recent history between them, nothing will.

Parma searching for a spark

You can paint Parma’s start either way. Glass half-full: they have finally put a point on the board and have at least stopped the rot. Glass half-empty: they have not won a game in any competition since mid-August.

Carlos Cuesta’s side have been sliding since that 2-0 Coppa Italia win over Catania more than a month ago. Four defeats in their last five matches have stripped away the optimism of summer and exposed a team struggling to hurt opponents.

The blunt edge has been brutal. Parma failed to score in Serie A losses to Cagliari (1-0) and Juventus (2-0), then went out of the cup with a 2-0 defeat to Cremonese at the start of September. No goals, no momentum, and growing anxiety in the stands.

The mood has shifted slightly in the last week. A 1-1 draw with Monza on matchday four finally put a point on the board, and they then pushed Champions League debutants Como before slipping to a narrow 2-1 defeat on Monday night. Not enough to change the narrative, but enough to offer Cuesta something to cling to.

History does not help. Parma have not beaten Genoa in three years and are winless in their last four against the Ligurian club. That run nags away in the background as they try to turn improved performances into something more tangible.

De Rossi under pressure to translate cup form

On the opposite bench, Daniele De Rossi walks into Emilia-Romagna in a similar bind. His Genoa side have also been leaning on the cups for solace.

The Grifone arrive buoyed by a midweek Coppa Italia win over Sudtirol, a much-needed clean sheet and a reminder that they can still close out a game. But the league tells a harsher story: nine Serie A matches without a win under the former World Cup winner.

Their last top-flight victory came against Pisa, who have since dropped out of the division. Since then, Genoa have taken three points from a possible 27, with six defeats and three draws leaving them second-bottom after four games of this season.

The stakes on Sunday are obvious. A win could catapult De Rossi’s men as high as 13th if other results fall their way. A draw or defeat, and the narrative of a promising start under a club icon sliding into a long-term struggle only hardens.

The numbers underline the problem. Genoa have scored just two league goals – the same meagre tally as Parma in 17th. At the other end, they have conceded eight, the fifth-worst record in the division behind Venezia, Monza and Fiorentina (11) and Udinese (10). They are leaking too much and offering too little.

Their clean sheet against Sudtirol was their first in any competition this season. De Rossi must now prove it was a turning point, not a one-off.

Team news: thin margins, few match-winners

Cuesta’s selection issues are limited but significant. Hans Nicolussi Caviglia is out with a groin injury, Parma’s only confirmed absentee, yet the real headache lies further forward.

Last season’s nine-goal forward Mateo Pellegrino has moved to Fiorentina, stripping Parma of their most reliable finisher. Four gameweeks into the new campaign, only Simone Lontani and David Romero have found the net in Serie A for the hosts. That lack of variety – and volume – in attack is exactly why they sit so low.

Cuesta is expected to line up with Corvi in goal, a back three of Delprato, Troilo and Carlos, and a midfield four of Britschgi, Bernabe, Keita and Valeri. Toure should support Lontani and Romero in attack, with Parma hoping that familiar structure finally delivers unfamiliar ruthlessness.

Genoa arrive without one of their key men from midweek. Johan Vasquez, who scored against Frosinone and then hit the winner against Sudtirol, is suspended after picking up two yellow cards last weekend. His absence removes a rare source of goals and personality.

Elias Havel (ankle) and Lorenzo Venturino (knee) are also sidelined, trimming De Rossi’s options. The responsibility shifts squarely onto Milutin Osmajic, the only other Genoa player to score this season, his goal coming in a 4-1 loss to Como in early September.

De Rossi is likely to stick with Bijlow in goal, a back three of Marcandalli, Ostigard and Otoa, and wing-backs Ehizibue and Ellertsson. Frendrup and Sow should anchor midfield, with Baldanzi given license to create behind Osmajic and Colombo.

A stalemate in the making?

Two teams short on confidence. Two attacks that have barely flickered. A shared desperation not to lose on top of the need to finally win.

Everything points to a tight, cagey contest in Emilia-Romagna. Parma and Genoa have drawn their last two meetings 0-0, and the signs suggest another suffocating afternoon for the forwards.

Prediction: Parma 0-0 Genoa.

If that plays out, both coaches will leave Ennio Tardini with the same question ringing in their ears: how long can a season survive without a goalscorer?