Parma vs. Atalanta Bergamo
Parma’s new coach Carlos Cuesta is already under pressure after just one matchday. The former Arteta assistant, who took over the Ducali after five years as assistant coach at Arsenal, saw a worrying performance from his team in their 2-0 defeat to Juventus. With the team in 19th place in the table and a weak performance against the Bianconeri, doubts about his move, which was considered risky in Italy, have already intensified. On Saturday, Parma will host Atalanta Bergamo at their home stadium, Stadio Tardini, with the match already taking on special significance for both teams despite the early stage of the season.
Atalanta are also still finding their feet under new coach Ivan Juric. The Bergamaschi could only manage a 1-1 draw against newly promoted Pisa in their opening game, which is hardly surprising given the departure of Gasperini and Retegui’s move to Saudi Arabia. The uncertainty surrounding Lookman, who has made public his desire to join Inter, is an additional burden.
History clearly favors the visitors: Atalanta has won three of the last five encounters, while Parma has won twice. Parma’s surprising 3-2 away win in Bergamo in May is particularly noteworthy. The matches between the two teams are traditionally high-scoring, with no game ending in a draw. Despite the current uncertainties, the betting markets see Atalanta as the clear favorite.
- Venue: Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma
- Date and time: 08/30/2025, 6:30 p.m.
- Competition: Serie A (Matchday 2)
Parma form & record check
Parma’s start to the new Serie A season has been anything but promising. Last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Juventus revealed the newly promoted side’s weaknesses early on. Particularly bitter: two late goals from David and Vlahović decided the game after Parma had held out bravely until the 59th minute.
The statistics from the last five games show a remarkable pattern. Interestingly, Parma failed to score in the first half in four of the five games, while they became much more dangerous in the second half. These early difficulties could be related to the still young collaboration under new coach Carlos Cuesta.
The club has considerable personnel worries. With Ondrejka, Frigan, Hernani, and Trabucchi, four players are out with injuries. The loss of Ondrejka, who is out until December with a broken fibula, weighs particularly heavily, as he is one of the most valuable players in the squad with a market value of €8 million.
Nineteenth place in the table after the first matchday may sound dramatic, but with only one point separating them from tenth place, this position quickly becomes relative. Nevertheless, the early defeat against Juventus shows that Parma still needs time to establish itself in Serie A and find the necessary consistency.
Parma are expected to line up in their usual 3-4-2-1 formation, which coach Carlos Cuesta prefers. Suzuki will be between the posts, while the back three is likely to consist of Delprato, Circati, and Valenti. Løvik and Valeri are set to play on the wings.
In midfield, Keita and Bernabé could provide stability, while Almqvist and Ordóñez will play as attacking midfielders. Pellegrino is likely to lead the line. However, Parma are missing some key players: Ondrejka, with a market value of €8 million, is out until December, and Frigan’s return is also uncertain after his cruciate ligament rupture.
Atalanta Form & Record Check
Atalanta goes into its second league game with one point from its season opener against Pisa. However, the 1-1 draw was not a particularly convincing performance by the Bergamo side under new coach Ivan Juric. After an early own goal by Hien, Scamacca had to equalize in the second half.
The team’s form shows interesting patterns: in their last five competitive games, the Bergamo side have scored in every game but have never lost in the second half. This strength after the break could be an important building block, especially as 80% of their recent victories have come in the second half.
In terms of personnel, Juric will continue to be without Kolasinac and Bakker, who are both out with cruciate ligament tears. The transfer situation surrounding Lookman is an additional burden after the attacker refused to train in order to force a move to Inter. He is now back in team training, but his future remains unclear.
With one point after the first matchday, Atalanta are in 10th place in the table, level on points with several rivals. The balanced goal difference and the fact that they have scored in each of their last five games show positive trends. The match against Parma will show whether Juric can already impose his style more clearly.
Atalanta are likely to line up in their usual 3-4-2-1 formation under Ivan Juric. In defense, the back three of Scalvini, Hien, and Djimsiti could start, while Carnesecchi is expected to be between the posts.
The absences of Kolasinac and Bakker, both with cruciate ligament tears, significantly weaken the defensive options. Therefore, it can be assumed that Bellanova and Zalewski will occupy the wide positions. In midfield, de Roon and Pasalic could form the central duo.
In attack, everything points to De Ketelaere and Maldini in the attacking half-positions, with Scamacca as the striker. Interestingly, the situation surrounding Lookman remains unresolved after he trained individually due to the failed Inter transfer. This predicted line-up takes into account the current circumstances, but could still change depending on transfer developments.
H2H Parma – Atalanta Head-to-head comparison & statistics
The head-to-head record of the last five meetings paints an interesting picture: Atalanta leads with three wins to Parma’s two, with no draws. It is particularly noteworthy that Parma won both of its victories in recent encounters.
In May 2025, the Crociati achieved a spectacular 3-2 away win in Bergamo, after previously losing 3-1 at home in November 2024. These two league duels show how close the two teams can be.
Atalanta traditionally dominates the first half against Parma. In four of the last five encounters, the Bergamo side was already leading at half-time, which is a striking trend. Parma, on the other hand, has never taken the lead at half-time in these matches.
These encounters are always high-scoring: all five games ended with at least three goals, four of them with four or more. The friendly match in August 2024 stood out with Parma’s 4-1 victory, but is unlikely to be particularly relevant for tomorrow’s league clash.
Statistics also show that both teams almost always score in these direct encounters. Parma has only failed to score once, while Atalanta has always scored at least one goal.
The tip for over 2.5 goals is justified by Atalanta’s impressive offense, which has produced high-scoring encounters in four of its last five games. At the same time, the hosts from Parma have conceded at least two goals in 80% of their last appearances. The absences of Ondrejka and Frigan weaken Parma’s attack, but could paradoxically lead to a more open game, as the visitors are likely to apply pressure early on. When it comes to “Both teams to score: No,” the numbers speak for themselves: Parma failed to score in the first half of their last five games and already struggled to convert chances against Juventus in their season opener. With Scamacca and Lookman, Atalanta has the quality to ensure defensive stability, while Parma’s weakened attack faces a difficult task without its injured regulars. The third tip on Atalanta’s success in the second half is based on the Bergamaschi tradition of deciding games late: they have won 80% of their recent encounters after the break, while Parma’s personnel problems could come to the fore in the closing stages when Juric’s bench plays to its strengths.
