A league leader under pressure and a club that can’t seem to escape the relegation zone will face off at the Stadio Ennio Tardini when Inter Milan travels to Parma on Wednesday evening for the 19th round of Serie A. The visitors travel as leaders with 39 points and a narrow one-point lead over Milan, meaning that any slip-up could immediately delay the title decision. The hosts come into the game with a mixed league record, a mixture of wins, draws, and losses, most recently a 1-1 draw at Sassuolo, in which Pellegrino scored early, a respectable result but one that does little to change the course of the season. Coach Carlos Cuesta also has to plan without Suzuki, Ndiaye, Benedyczak, and Frigan, which is why there is a lot to be said for an approach based on hard work and compactness rather than major personnel experiments, especially as this game is important in order to avoid getting into serious trouble. Inter, on the other hand, are riding a wave of five consecutive league wins, including tough victories against Atalanta and Bologna, which have restored their confidence after the setback in the Supercoppa. Cristian Chivu’s team is clearly building its offense around the form of Lautaro and the in-form Thuram, as well as the creative Dimarco, while Pio Esposito is pushing for a starting spot and Bonny returns to his former club.
- Venue: Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma
- Date and time: January 7, 2026, 8:45 p.m.
- Competition: Serie A (Matchday 19)
With Lautaro, a Thuram in form and Dimarco as one of Europe’s most prolific assist providers, Inter should create enough chances to make over 2.5 goals seem realistic. At the same time, Chivu’s rotation considerations with Esposito, the absence of Dumfries, and the recent goals conceded, combined with Parma’s stable home goal ratio and strikingly strong first halves, point to bets such as Both Teams to Score: Yes and Parma or Draw at Half Time.
Parma Form & Record Check
Parma enters the nineteenth round as a typical lower mid-table team. The last four league games illustrate this well, with an away win in Pisa, a home defeat to Lazio, a home win against Fiorentina, and the recent 1-1 draw at Sassuolo. Across all competitions, they have two wins, one draw, and two defeats, confirming the mixed picture. The draw at Sassuolo was a useful away result and continued their run of close games, while the home win against Fiorentina showed that they can win tight battles at the Tardini. On the other hand, the 0-1 defeat to Lazio and the 1-2 defeat in the Coppa Italia in Bologna showed how quickly these narrow margins can turn against Parma.
Statistically, their games are often close. Parma have scored in 80% of their last five games, while 80% of those games ended with under 2.5 goals and every second half remained under 1.5. The first 45 minutes are usually evenly matched, with 80% of halftime draws and no defeats at the break. Overall, they remain in the lower mid-table with 18 points, neither safe nor in acute danger. With Suzuki, Ndiaye, Benedyczak, and Frigan unavailable, coach Carlos Cuesta is likely to focus on control and structure rather than risk, but the margin for error remains limited if the team wants to climb the table.
Parma are expected to stick with their usual 4-3-3 formation under Carlos Cuesta, with the line-up likely to be similar to recent games. Corvi should start in goal, in front of a back four of Delprato, Circati, Valenti, and Valeri, a combination that combines aggression and security. In midfield, Keita, Bernabé, and Sørensen will be tasked with winning the ball, opening up passing lanes, and linking the lines.
In attack, Ondrejka and Almqvist are expected to start on either side of Pellegrino, especially with Benedyczak and Frigan still out, limiting rotation options up front. Suzuki is also out, making Guaita the main alternative to Corvi in goal.
In defense, the absence of Ndiaye suggests continuity with Circati and Valenti, while Cutrone and Djuric would offer different profiles from the bench should Parma need to force a goal in the closing stages.
Inter Form & Record Check
Inter travels to Parma in outstanding Serie A form. Five consecutive league wins have taken Cristian Chivu’s side back to the top of the table, with 39 points and a one-point lead over Milan, as well as the best goal difference in the league at +23. The latest exclamation point was the 3-1 revenge win against Bologna at San Siro, a game that Inter controlled almost from start to finish, apart from the visitors’ late consolation goal. Across all competitions, the picture is strong, if not flawless: the hard-fought 2-1 win in Genoa and the 1-0 win at Atalanta underline the team’s growing maturity in big games, while the semi-final defeat in the Supercoppa Italiana after a 1-1 draw with Bologna and elimination on penalties, as well as the narrow 0-1 home defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League, mark the few setbacks.
Offensively, the team’s form in the league borders on dominance. Lautaro has scored in five consecutive Serie A games and exudes the aura of a captain who decides games, while Thuram’s own goal streak shows how well the partnership is working. Behind them, Zielinski’s performance against Bologna stood out with a goal, and Dimarco’s status as one of Europe’s most prolific assist providers from the full-back position ensures that Inter produce a constant flow of high-quality chances. In Inter’s recent run across all competitions, they have not trailed at halftime in any of their last five games, which speaks to their control, yet they have conceded goals in four of those games and kept a clean sheet only once. The second halves are often tighter and lower-scoring, although Bologna’s late goal on Sunday again revealed a certain carelessness in the closing stages.
Defensively, there is a mixture of certainty and uncertainty. Bisseck’s strong performance in his duel with Nicolo Cambiaghi has cemented his claim in a defense that continues to rely on Acerbi and de Vrij. However, the injuries to Dumfries and Darmian, as well as the absence of Di Gennaro, reduce the reliable options on the right side and reduce flexibility in a system that relies heavily on wingbacks. Further forward, a lot will depend on squad management if this Serie A form is to be maintained. Frattesi’s limited playing time so far and talks with Galatasaray suggest that he has not yet fully established himself in Chivu’s inner circle, while Esposito’s recent influence as a super-sub and Bonny’s return from a knee problem promise fresh energy. With only a one-point lead over Milan, rotation without a loss of quality could become Inter’s biggest challenge.
At Inter, Cristian Chivu is likely to stick with his usual back three, with Sommer in goal behind a trio of Bisseck, Akanji, and Bastoni, and Dimarco and Henrique on the flanks. With Dumfries, Darmian, and Di Gennaro still out, the roles in the back line are relatively clear.
Up front, Martínez could start alongside Esposito, as Chivu is considering giving the young striker a starting spot after his recent brief appearances, and the busy schedule is considered extremely demanding.
Thuram could be rested on the bench despite his scoring streak in the league, while Bonny is expected to travel with the team and continue to be used as an effective substitute.
Parma – Inter Head-to-Head & Statistics
Inter Milan have the clear upper hand in the last five head-to-head matches, with four wins and one draw, while Parma are still waiting for a win. This series includes matches in Serie A, the Coppa Italia and a friendly, and includes a four-game winning streak for Inter, which was only stopped by a 2-2 draw at the Stadio Ennio Tardini in April 2025.
Parma has scored in four of these five encounters, while Inter has scored in every single one, meaning that the northern Italians have conceded goals in all of their recent encounters. Four games ended with at least three goals, only one remained at two, which suggests a duel with chances on both sides rather than a cautious, low-scoring game. The rhythm of the game shows a clear pattern: first halves are usually tight, with four of the five games seeing no more than one goal before the break.
After the break, the momentum tends to shift in Inter’s favor. In four consecutive games, Inter won the second half, while Parma lost this period, underlining how often the visitors prevail in the later stages. An additional nuance is the development of the scores: the first three encounters in this series all ended with fewer than four goals, while the most recent two duels each produced four goals, 3-1 for Inter in 2024 and the aforementioned 2-2 in April 2025. This history clearly favors Inter in the upcoming Serie A clash, as they remained unbeaten in these five games and always scored, while Parma can at least draw proof from last year’s draw that they can keep up with the favorites, provided they get their well-known second-half problem under control.
