Cesena welcome Parma to start off their 2014/15 season at the Stadio Dino Manuzzi on Sunday with kick off at 20:45 CET, this is the Seahorses’ first Serie A campaign since suffering relegation in 2012.
Recent fixtures between these two sides have been close, with three of the last four games being draws, and Parma taking the a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Gabriel Paletta and Alessandro Lucarelli in the 2011/12 season.
Despite the sides being hard to separate in the past, goals are usually not hard to find with 12 goals in the last four meetings, while Parma have never lost to the Seahorses.
Cesena head into this season knowing a battle to stay in the division is on their hands, rebuilding a team which had 12 loan players in a squad of 20 last season. Thus sixteen new players have arrived, but they can be buoyed by a pre-season that consisted of six games without defeat, including a goalless draw against current Serie A champions Juventus.
Parma themselves have a had a decent pre-season, which finished with a goalless draw against Premier League side Aston Villa. As they look to get over the disappointment of missing out on this season’s Europa league, it’s more the players who stayed, rather than those who arrived that will push the Crociati to challenge again for a European berth.
Striker Antonio Cassanno adds that extra dimension in attack, and Italian international Gabriel Paletta will hopefully give Parma the same defensive qualites that maintained an impressive 17 game unbeaten run last season.
The two teams are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to the possible XI to start the first game and with the objectives for the season, with Cesena rebuilding and possibly fielding six new players, and hoping to stay in the division as their main focus.
Meanwhile, Parma have shown stability in the transfer market and could possibly field just the one addition to the team as they glance towards the European places.
Expected Starting XIs
Cesena -Leali, Nica, Capelli, Krajnic, Renzetti, Giorgi, Cascione, Cazzola, Brienza, Rodriguez, Marilungo
Parma – Mirante, Cassani, Paletta, Molinaro, Gobbi, Acquah, Biabiany, Marchionni, Mauri, Cassano, Belfodil
