Impossible to get bored. The challenge between Parma and Catanzaro will above all be the duel between the (atypical) tridents. Iemmello, Biasci and Vandeputte in the den of Man, Benedyczak and Bernabè (what a striker he is not). They are the frontmen of two of the best attacks of the tournament, the fourth against the first (47 goals for the Calabrians, 57 for the Emilians), the men on the cover of two teams that are very strong because they know how to enhance – with the collective and the game – individuality that make the difference.
Vivarini's trio of stars has the same haul as Pecchia's magical trio: together they score 27 goals on one side and 27 on the other. Iemmello and Man are the top scorers: 11 goals each. Benedyczak has one more than Biasci's nine, Vandeputte at seven looks down on the six of the Spanish jewel of the Emilians. A difference? Parma's three hit penalties eight times, Catanzaro's only once. Another one? The league leaders found more resources from the attackers and the reserve wingers (13 goals between Colak, Charpentier, Partipilo, Mihaila) in addition to the three seals of Bonny, their starting center forward (who is not a center forward), who also added six assists (Vandeputte he has nine, Iemmello has four).
Parma is the excellence of Serie B not only because it has been at the top since matchday one. It leads or is among the first in a series of decisive indicators (Opta data): it is second in number of shots (418), first in goals in the first half and in the first 15 minutes (26 and 12 respectively), second in goals scored (19 %) and shots on target (51%), fourth for goals in the last quarter of an hour (13).
Catanzaro is not afraid of comparison because he balances the few conclusions (333, eighteenth in the ranking) with the highest figure of shots on target (53%) and the second of realizations (19%, like Parma), to which he adds a realization of clear scoring opportunities close to half (49%, fourth in the standings). And again, only Palermo (17 times) has headed more goals than the Eagles (10). They're going to play it.
The coach from Abruzzo still has doubts to resolve in every department: D'Andrea is recovered, but will he be able to prevail against one of Sounas or Brignola? Is it better to choose Biasci from the start or relaunch Ambrosino? In the middle, is Verna's application or Pompetti's dynamism better?
And can Brighenti (who also did not participate in training at the stadium yesterday) come back or will it be up to Scognamillo to support Antonini in the centre? Certainly, he will not leave those spaces behind him in which, in the first leg, Parma had a good and bad time. He will certainly look for countermeasures on the wings (when Man turns on it's trouble) and in the central streets. As? Defending as a team: he knows how to do it well. The league leaders have the second best defense of the tournament (30 goals conceded, of which just five in the last 15'), but Catanzaro has already demonstrated that they possess a precious skill: suffering and holding on. And then in goal he has Fulignati, unbeaten in eight games, as good as his fellow opponent Chichizola (nine “clean sheets”): it won't be a quiet day for either of them.