There's more than a hint of nostalgia around the Emilian derby, which is contested between two of Italian football's fallen giants. Long gone are the days that Parma were competing for the Serie A title, and even longer gone are Bologna's seven scudetti. But at least they've still got cheese and ham. And, make no mistake, despite the wistful sentimentality, this is a big game for Emilia-Romagna's giants.
Parma vs. Bologna: Preview and TV schedule
Serie A’s tastiest derby returns on Saturday, with Parma facing off against Bologna for the pride of Emilia.
Marco Luzzani
Parma have started the season solidly, with their shock win over Napoli last weekend seeing them move up into the top half of the table. Bologna, on the other hand, have been rather less convincing, and are just a place outside the relegation zone after their 2-1 defeat to newly-promoted Sassuolo last time out. They'll be looking to push away from the bottom three by repeating their 2-0 victory away at the Ennio Tardini last season.
They're helped by a couple of notable absentees Roberto Donadoni has to deal with. The most important is suspended midfielder Walter Gargano, with wing-back Aleandro Rosi ruled out for the same reason. Daniele Galloppa and Stefano Okaka are both suspended, though the former's long-term injury woes and the latter's inability to score a goal make their absences less concerning.
For Bologna, defender Nicolò Cherubin and striker Jonathan Cristaldo are injured, but the biggest pre-match worry for renegade Parma-born coach Stefano Pioli is the potential absence of Alessandro Diamanti, who's struggling with a bout of flu. Given his importance to the rossoblù's attack, they'll be desperate to have him available.
Parma injuries and suspensions
Out: Stefano Okaka, Daniele Galloppa (injured); Aleandro Rosi, Walter Gargano (suspended). In doubt: Nicola Pavarini.
Bologna injuries and suspensions
Out: Nicolò Cherubin, Jonathan Cristaldo (injured). In doubt: Henry Giménez, Alessandro Diamanti.
Projected lineups
Parma: Antonio Mirante; Alessandro Lucarelli, Gabriel Paletta, Mattia Cassani; Massimo Gobbi, Marco Parolo, Marco Marchionni, Afriyie Acquah, Jonathan Biabiany; Amauri, Antonio Cassano.
Bologna: Gianluca Curci; Mikael Antonsson, Cesare Natali, Frederik Sørensen; Archimede Morleo, Rene Krhin, Michele Pazienza, György Garics; Alessandro Diamanti, Panagiotis Kone; Rolando Bianchi.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 6 p.m. local, 12 p.m. ET
Venue: Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma, Italy
TV: RAI Internazionale (U.S. and Canada - Italian), Sky Calcio 1, Sky Supercalcio HD (Italy).
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