Lazio sit second in Serie A with 19 points from seven matches and are unbeaten under Gennaro Gattuso, appointed on 23 June 2026 to replace Maurizio Sarri, making this the club's best ever start to a Serie A season. Parma, by contrast, are 19th with just four points, having turned to Alberto Gilardino on 29 September 2026 to replace Carlos Cuesta. The visitors have won once all season and are deep in a relegation battle. Gattuso and Gilardino have no competitive history as managers, so neither has meaningful data on how the other adjusts mid game.
Lazio's last five reads W D W W W, capped by a 3-0 win over Juventus on 18 October 2026 and a 3-1 win against Monza the week before, having conceded just four goals across the entire campaign. Parma's last five reads L D L W L, with 0-3 losses to both Torino on 19 October 2026 and Inter on 10 October 2026.
Lazio are without four players across midfield and defence, with Nicolò Rovella out with a calf injury, removing the side's primary ball recycler in midfield. Adam Marušić misses out through a thigh problem, forcing a reshuffle at full back, while Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Lorenzo Pellegrini are also sidelined with thigh complaints, thinning the options in the centre considerably. Parma's situation is no better: Hans Nicolussi Caviglia is ruled out with a groin/thigh injury, Nesta Elphege is absent through illness and Pontus Almqvist is a doubt with a calf problem.
Gattuso runs a high intensity 4-3-3 and without Rovella and Pellegrini, Frattesi will need to shoulder more of the tempo setting from deeper positions, with Zaccagni as the main creative outlet on the left. Frattesi's runs into the box and his eye for goal make him the most dangerous ball carrier in this Lazio side right now and Tijjani Noslin and Gustav Isaksen are likely to see more of the ball than usual given how exposed Parma's flanks tend to be when they push men forward. Gilardino has favoured a compact 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1, with David Romero and El Bilal Touré up front and on current form Lazio's wide forwards represent a serious mismatch for whoever Parma deploy at wing back.
The last two meetings ended Lazio 1-1 Parma on 4 April 2026 and Parma 0-1 Lazio on 13 December 2025. Lazio have already scored several times this season from organised delivery into the box and the absence of Pellegrini may push more responsibility onto rehearsed moves involving Frattesi and Noslin. Parma's compact, passive setup makes them vulnerable to second phase attacks from corners and free kicks and Gattuso's training demands have given Lazio noticeably better fitness, which tends to show in the final quarter when Parma's defensive lines start to break down.
Lazio 2-0 Parma. The midfield absences create some uncertainty but Frattesi and Zaccagni give them enough in the final third and Parma's recent heavy defeats point to structural problems that a high pressing 4-3-3 will pull apart, with a clean sheet looking very likely given what Lazio have conceded this season.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
