Torino vs Parma

The stakes are high for Torino at the start of the new calendar year as they entertain bottom-half Parma in a must-win game at Stadio Olimpico di Torino. 

Conceding two ‘cheap’ goals in a 2-2 draw at Udinese in their final game of 2024 left under-pressure Torino manager Paolo Vanoli fuming and understandably so. Indeed, his men have only won once across their last nine matches (D3, L5), putting him at risk of being sacked early in 2025 unless he turns his side’s fortunes around quickly. The impending home return can’t inspire much confidence, considering ‘I Granata’ lost three of their four Serie A outings in Turin toward the end of the previous calendar year (D1), netting just one goal. Duvan Zapata’s long-term injury has significantly derailed Torino’s scoring capacity, with only three sides sitting outside the bottom three at the start of 2025 bagging fewer goals than them (19) this season.

Meanwhile, Parma recovered confidence at the end of 2024, beating rock-bottom Monza 2-1 at home to halt a woeful three-game losing streak and move four points clear of 18th-placed Cagliari. However, Fabio Pecchia’s charges have traveled poorly this season, as witnessed by a dismal record of just one win from eight away league games (D3, L4). Furthermore, they’ve lost their last two top-flight fixtures on the road via multi-goal margins, conceding 3+ goals on both occasions. If it’s a justification, they tackled Roma and Inter Milan. Defensive frailties have been the scourge of Parma’s effort to steer away from the drop zone, with only Hellas Verona (42) conceding more Serie A goals than them (34) this term.