TURIN – The 34th matchday of Serie B opens tonight, kick-off at 8.30pm, with two advance matches, one luxury (Palermo-Parma), the other essentially linked to safety (Reggiana-Cosenza). Palermo plays its third match tonight with Michele Mignani on the bench. So far, the former Bari coach has collected two points, 2-2 at home on his debut against Sampdoria, 1-1 in Cosenza. In short, one has the feeling that at the moment the rosanero are above all busy defending their current 6th place. Recovering Catanzaro, fifth in the standings and 4 points away, would change little: in both cases the playoffs would be played at the end of the season starting from the preliminary round to be played at home. Trying to undermine 4th place – i.e. qualifying for the playoff semi-finals – currently occupied by Cremonese ahead by 8 points, seems unlikely, even if Stroppa’s grey-reds are not doing well (3 knockouts in the last 4 outings). Therefore, also considering that Mignani is redesigning the team and trying to sweep away the rubble inherited from Corini, it would not be a despicable thing to end the season confirming itself in 6th place, considering the 6 point margin that Palermo has over seventh-placed Brescia and looking for a victory that has been missing for 40 days. Meanwhile, this evening, league leaders Parma arrive at the Barbera, but in their history they have never prevailed against the Barbera. In the last round, the boys from Pecchia beat Spezia (2-0), 3 points to put an end to the decline at the beginning of April and lay the foundations to reach the promotion match point. After this round, there will still be 4 days left and today Parma has an 8 point advantage over third-placed Venezia. So in the next match, on 27 April at 2pm, when Lecco lands at the Tardini, the match could also offer a double verdict: A for Parma, C for the Blucelesti. Provided, however, that tonight the Emilians do not fall back into the dull tests of the beginning of the month, when the home defeat against Catanzaro (0-2) and the 0-0 in Bolzano against Sudtirol came. Lucìoni and Di Mariano return to Palermo from a suspension, a stop which instead concerns Bonny in Parma, who will be replaced by Charpentier, author of the final 3-3 in the 95th minute which ended the first leg. Reggiana-Cosenza, on the other hand, is a fairly delicate match between two teams trying to avoid trouble in the final days. Nesta’s Reggiana won in Venice three rounds ago (incredible 2-3, after closing the first half at 2-0), a result with which they could have placed their sights on a place in the playoffs (which today is 4 points away). And then came two disheartening defeats, the granata first fell at home to Cittadella (0-2), then they managed to lose in Lecco (1-0) with the bottom having not yet won in 2024, i.e. in return round. Today Nesta’s team still has a 5-point lead on the playout zone, winning tonight would mean having safety in their pocket, which was the objective of the season. Cosenza’s situation is more complicated, in their fifth outing with coach William Viali on the bench. So far the former Ascoli coach has obtained 2 points, with draws in the last two matches (1-1 at home with Palermo, 2-2 in Piacenza with Feralpisalò). Viali who recovers the fundamental Marras, a very talented player for whom, if he wasn’t born in 1993, there would be a queue at every transfer session. With him close to the totem Tutino – author of an extraordinary championship, as a Serie A player, he scored 14 goals and dreams of reaching 20 – Cosenza could also find their first victory with Viali on the bench, the coach with whom last season the salvation of the Calabrians had reached the playouts.
Tags: Palermo awakening Parma Serie
