Parma-Milan Preview: Maybe

Milan travel to Parma with the most hysterical and downtrodden fans possibly ever. Morale at the club seems to be on the upswing, but the fans are apparently slow to pick up on it. So most of what you will read or hear may be doomsday/apocalyptic. In reality, you can tone that down a few notches. Milan are desperate for points, certainly, but with the improving mentality and a reprieve from playing the top five or six teams, Milan may actually take point(s) from this one. Maybe.

Will one of our strikers score? Maybe.

Parma actually sit above us on the table, in eighth place. While they are coming off a 2-2 draw against Bologna, who stole a point from them with an equalizer in the dying seconds of the match, they have also beaten Roma and drawn with Inter thus far this season. So don’t think this match will be a cakewalk.

For their draw against Bologna last week, D’Aversa lined up Sepe; Iacoponi, Dermaku, Alves; Darmian, Kulusevski, Scozzarella, Brilla, Gagliolo; our old pal Kucka, and Sprocati. Unfortunately, D’Aversa will be missing Cornelius, Karamoh, Inglese, and more recently, Scozzarella to injury. He will have Gervinho, back, though. The most guaranteed outcome for Parma is that the Milan away fans will pay tribute to Kucka, if not actually cheer for him, because he was so beloved amongst Milan fans.

Miss his grinta? Definitely.

Pioli has a big chance to change the narrative, but he’s got some injuries to deal with. He will be missing Rodriguez and Caldara, Castillejo and Borini may not yet be fit. Paqueta is reported to have a slight injury and will likely miss this match, too. Pioli got some bad news about his backup center back, as Leo Duarte’s heel injury turned out to be a big one and he had surgery on it on Thursday. He will miss three to four months. While the press has turned up the volume on buying a replacement, Pioli must choose his starting eleven on Sunday.

Calhanoglu and Bennacer are both back from suspension. While Bonaventura’s screamer against Napoli challenges Calhanoglu’s starting spot, if Paqueta misses out, then they may both play. Also, Suso should be returning, which helps. But Milan need goals, and Pioli needs to figure out if he starts Piatek or Leao, or possibly both, in the hopes that the goals will finally come.

Will Pioli's luck change if he pats Suso's head? Maybe

Parma are at home, and are a force to be reckoned with. Milan are desperate for points, but if they play without thinking about the table, there is a chance they could actually steal three points from the Stadio Ennio Tardini. Or at least one. Or maybe not, part of it depends on if their away fans back them. Can Milan pull it off? Maybe.

This post was inspired by the music of The Cure's "Maybe Someday"

Serie A Week 14

Parma vs. Milan

Sunday, December 1 • 15:00 CET (9am EDT)

This match can be streamed LIVE on ESPN+ in the U.S.