Parma will be looking to build on their impressive victory over Genoa when they welcome high-flying Inter Milan to the Stadio Ennio Tardini for Sunday's Serie A clash.
In contrast, Inter go into the game having played out a thrilling 3-3 draw with Sassuolo in midweek, and Antonio Conte's side currently lie on 58 points - eight adrift of leaders Juventus at this stage.
Match preview
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Parma did their European hopes the world of good with a 4-1 triumph against a relegation-threatened Genoa side last time out, with Andreas Cornelius having a hand in every goal as the 27-year-old bagged a hat-trick and an assist for I Crociati.
Roberto D'Aversa's men are very much in the running for a European berth after 27 matches as they sit seventh on 39 points - a standing which would be enough for a Europa League place come the end of the season.
Parma have accrued 11 wins, six draws and 10 losses in the 2019-20 campaign thus far, although they are only ahead of eighth-placed AC Milan on goal difference as the fight for European football hots up.
A return to European competition so soon after being demoted to Serie D would be an incredible feat from D'Aversa's side, and a Europa League spot for next season would represent the first time that Parma have competed on the international stage since the 2006-07 campaign.
However, they have lost their last two home fixtures in Serie A to Lazio and SPAL without reply, and Parma will have to complete the campaign without their loyal supporters in the stands amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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Meanwhile, Inter Milan's hopes of a first Serie A triumph since 2010 are looking all the more slim after they were forced to settle for a point at home to Sassuolo.
Borja Valero must have thought he had won the game for Conte's side when the Spaniard made it 3-2 in the 86th minute, but Sassuolo's Giangiacomo Magnani equalised no more than three minutes later to leave Inter four points adrift of second-placed Lazio.
However, the story could have been completely different had Inter's Roberto Gagliardini not inexplicably missed from a yard out just after the hour mark, but Juventus can temporarily extend their lead over Conte's side to 11 points with victory over Lecce on Friday evening.
I Nerazzurri just about managed to overcome Sampdoria in their first match back following the league's resumption, but the draw with Sassuolo in midweek means that Inter have only won one of their last four games in Italy's top flight.
Inter and Parma played out a 2-2 draw when they last locked horns in October, with ex-Premier League players Romelu Lukaku and Gervinho both on the scoresheet for their respective sides.
Parma Serie A form: DLWLDW
Inter Serie A form: WWLLWD
Inter form (all competitions): WWLDWD
Team News
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Ever-present defender Simone Iacoponi will miss out through suspension for Parma after he picked up his fifth booking of the season against Genoa.
Alberto Grassi, Luca Siligardi and Roberto Inglese all missed out on Tuesday and the trio are facing a race to be fit in time for the weekend.
As far as Inter are concerned, Milan Skriniar was sent off in the dying embers of the draw with Sassuolo and will play no part in this one.
Diego Godin has had his fair share of injury woes but the Uruguayan could start in place of Skriniar, and Stefan de Vrij is also in line for a recall.
Manchester United loanee Alexis Sanchez started up top with Lukaku against Sassuolo and managed to bag an assist, but Lautaro Martinez is expected to return to the front two against Parma.
Marcelo Brozovic, Matias Vecino and Stefano Sensi are all set to miss out again for Conte's side.
Parma possible starting lineup:
Sepe; Laurini, Dermaku, Alves, Gagliolo; Hernani, Barilla, Kucka; Kulusevski, Cornelius, Gervinho
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Handanovic; Godin, Ranocchia, De Vrij; Candreva, Gagliardini, Barella, Young; Eriksen; Martinez, Lukaku
We say: Parma 1-2 Inter Milan
Conte's defence is looking far from sturdy at the moment, and Cornelius will no doubt fancy his chances against a depleted Inter side following his hat-trick against Genoa.
Both clubs will be without arguably their most important centre-backs in Iacoponi and Skriniar, but we expect Inter's attacking prowess to shine through and pave the way for a narrow away victory.
Ben Knapton
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Inter Milan win with a probability of 56.94%. A draw had a probability of 22.3% and a win for Parma had a probability of 20.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Inter Milan win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.93%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.91%) and 0-2 (9.4%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.47%), while for a Parma win it was 1-0 (5.53%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 9.9% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Inter Milan would win this match.
