The Stadio Ennio Tardini is set for a classic Serie A contrast on 1 February, as a struggling Parma side welcomes European-chasing Juventus in a clash that pulls the table in two directions at once. 12 versus 5, 23 points versus 42, minus-12 goal difference against plus-18: everything about the standings screams mismatch, yet the story between these two clubs has been far more nuanced in recent years.
Parma limp into this encounter on the back of a worrying run – just five wins from 22 league games and a recent form line of LDDWL that hints at fragility rather than momentum. Juventus, by contrast, arrive with WLWWD in their last five, a sequence that keeps them firmly in the hunt for at least Europa League football and perhaps more if the teams above them slip. With the gap between them a daunting 19 points, the stakes are clear: for Parma, it is about survival and belief; for Juventus, it is about keeping pace with Italy’s elite and avoiding any slip on a potentially treacherous away day.
Form Guide & Season Trends
Parma’s season has been a grind. Fifteenth in the table, they have collected just 23 points from 22 matches, with a timid attack and a leaky, if not catastrophic, defence. Only 14 goals scored all season – an average of 0.6 per game both home and away – underlines the scale of their problems in the final third. At the Tardini, they have found the net only seven times in 11 league outings, failing to score in more than half of those home games. The stadium has not been a fortress: two wins, four draws, and five defeats, with 13 goals conceded.
Parma’s numbers paint a picture of a team constantly on the edge. They have managed seven clean sheets overall, which suggests they can be organised and stubborn, but the lack of cutting edge means any defensive mistake is often fatal. Their biggest home defeat, a 1-3 reverse, and the fact they have never scored more than twice in a match this season, underline how narrow their margins are.
Juventus have built a season on balance and control. Fifth in Serie A with 42 points from 22 games, they have lost only four times. Their attack has been solid rather than spectacular – 35 goals at 1.6 per game – but combined with a defence that concedes just 0.8 per match, it has been enough to keep them in the European conversation. Away from Turin, they are not invincible but still strong: five wins, two draws and four defeats, with a 12-9 goal record.
A closer look at their scoring patterns shows a side that grows into games. A remarkable 27% of their league goals arrive between the 61st and 75th minute, and another 24% between 76 and 90, indicating a team that finishes strongly and punishes tiring opponents. Defensively, they rarely collapse; they have conceded more than once in only a handful of matches, and their under/over data points to low-scoring, controlled contests. Juventus have kept nine clean sheets this season, four of them away, and failed to score only three times on the road.
Head-to-Head History
If the table suggests a straightforward away win, the recent history between these clubs urges caution. In the last five meetings, Juventus have three victories, Parma one, and there has been one draw – but the pattern within those games is intriguing.
Back in August 2025, on the opening day of this Serie A season, Juventus beat Parma 2-0 at the Allianz Stadium, a professional home performance after a goalless first half. Yet the previous campaign told a different story. In April 2025 at the Tardini, Parma stunned Juventus with a 1-0 home win, holding their nerve after taking a first-half lead. That result will be fresh in the minds of the home support and a reminder to Juventus that complacency is dangerous.
Go further back and the meetings in Turin have often been livelier. A 2-2 draw in October 2024 saw Parma twice breach the Juventus defence, while in April 2021 Juventus ran out 3-1 winners at home. The Tardini itself has seen extremes: in December 2020, Juventus thrashed Parma 4-0 in Emilia-Romagna, but that emphatic result now sits alongside last season’s narrow home win for Parma as proof that this match-up can swing wildly.
The overall trend is Juventus dominance, but with enough recent scars – especially that 1-0 defeat in Parma – to keep the visitors on edge and give the hosts a psychological foothold.
Team News & Key Men
Parma’s task is made trickier by a cluster of absences. P. Cutrone is unavailable, while attacking options M. Frigan and A. Ndiaye are also ruled out, stripping depth and variety from a forward line that already struggles for goals. Goalkeeper Z. Suzuki is sidelined too, potentially disrupting stability at the back in a match where concentration will be paramount.
That puts even more responsibility on the shoulders of Mateo Pellegrino. The Argentine striker is Parma’s standout attacking figure this season, with six of their 14 league goals – a staggering share of the team’s output. He has chipped in with one assist and carries a constant physical presence up front, having contested an enormous volume of duels. If Parma are to unsettle Juventus, it will likely be through his hold-up play, set-piece threat and ability to draw fouls in dangerous areas.
Juventus also have selection headaches, particularly in attack. D. Vlahovic, one of their leading forwards, is out with a groin injury, while A. Milik is sidelined and D. Rugani misses out at the back. Even so, the visitors retain plenty of firepower and creativity, and the spotlight will fall on Kenan Yıldız.
The 20-year-old Turkish attacker has been one of Serie A’s breakout stars this season, with eight goals and four assists in 21 appearances. Wearing the number 10 shirt, Yıldız combines end product with flair: 27 shots on target from 41 attempts, 43 key passes, and 42 successful dribbles underline his all-round threat. With Vlahovic absent, he becomes the natural reference point in the final third, the player expected to unlock a deep-lying Parma defence and decide tight moments.
This match feels destined to be played on Juventus’ terms: territorial control, patient probing, and a focus on wearing down a Parma side that rarely scores and often has to cling on. Parma will likely sit deep, look to protect their penalty area and hope Pellegrino can conjure something on the break or from a set piece.
Given Juventus’ strong late-game numbers and Parma’s chronic scoring issues, the visitors look well placed to edge a low-scoring encounter, perhaps by a single goal. But with last season’s 1-0 at the Tardini still echoing, Juventus know that if they drop their intensity, Parma have just enough resilience – and just enough history – to turn this into another uncomfortable night.
