Parma vs Udinese 20/08/18

20 August 2018

Four years after admitting bankruptcy and suffered immense financial troubles that sent them to Serie C, Parma have returned to the Italian top flight, as they are set to host Udinese at the Stadio Ennio Tardini in their first Serie A match after a long break. The Crusaders three warm-up matches, securing the 3-1 win over Foggia in the first summer game, after which they suffered two straight losses to Sampdoria and Folgore Caratese. The uninspiring summer campaign got worse last week when Pisa eliminated the famous Italian team in the Coppa Italia by a narrow one-goal margin. Meanwhile, the Friulian White-blacks have takenpart in eight summer friendlies following a nightmarish season where they barely managed to dodge relegation. However, after an encouraging start and four consecutive victories, the Little Zebras have slowed down a bit, drawing two times and losing twice in the process. The poor performance and lack of signings culminated last weekend when Udinese got eliminated by Benevento in Coppa Italia after extra time. Julio Velazquez who took charge of the team in the summer hopes his team will raise performance in Serie A to avoid the similar scenario to that of last year.

Gianni Munari, Matteo Scozzarella, and Alessandro Bastoni will all miss the encounter due to injuries for the home side, while Svante Ingelsson and Emmanuel Badu are expected to skip the trip to Emilia-Romagna.