Collecchio, 7 December 2025 – This is what Carlos Cuesta had to say ahead of Parma’s match against Pisa on matchday 14 in Serie A:

DESIRE TO WIN

“We know how important this match is, with two teams that will go out there with a real desire to win. We have to approach it with great humility, and that humility needs to bring out our determination. All of that has to lead us toward the result we want. In every match, the emotional side plays a role, so you prepare through what you do every day and through the maturity we’re trying to develop in every game and every training session. We need to bring that onto the pitch tomorrow: play with that maturity and determination, with a clear idea of the result we want. Parma come into this fully prepared and with a clear plan of what we need to do in Pisa. Troilo is out through suspension, but aside from that there’s nothing new.”

SPIRIT OVER FORMATIONS

“Tomorrow, we’ll play with eleven players who will all be ready to give their best, and everyone on the bench will contribute when they come on and support from the sidelines as well. Tactically, we can play with four or five at the back, but football is much more than formations. It’s about the attitude you bring to the game, the determination and clarity that allow you to put in a great performance. And we hope that this great performance will bring us the result we want. The returns of Ondrejka and Oristanio? They’ve responded positively. Receiving the ball between the lines, taking on players, helping us progress up the pitch as a team, finding players in the half-spaces – all of this allows us to create more danger and bypass opponents. They will certainly be important for us.”

3-5-2: A COMMON DENOMINATOR FOR PISA, UDINESE AND VERONA

“They have some aspects in common, while others are different. Pisa are very capable of progressing through direct play, are dangerous from crosses, and exploit spaces on the counter – similar to Verona and Udinese, who have comparable characteristics. What we’ve done previously can help us do what we want tomorrow.”

THE TEAM’S ATTACK AND CHOICES TO BE MADE

“We have a lot of good attackers: Benedyczak, Djurić, Cutrone, Pontus (Almqvist, ed.) and Pellegrino, while we also consider Oristanio an attacker. We’re fully aware of the strength of our team and absolutely determined to go to Pisa tomorrow, put in a great performance, and get the result we want. That’s our focus. We know our opponents will make things as difficult as possible, but everyone wants the same thing – and there’s always a way, wherever and however you look at it. Estévez in central defence? That’s a possibility. Corvi, Guaita or Rinaldi? All three are prepared, but with 24 hours to go, we can’t say for sure yet. Guaita? He offers different qualities. Both have different qualities (compared to Corvi, ed.), giving us the ability to make the most of our options in the game. Always making substitutions after the 70th minute? That’s not the case: against AC Milan, we made changes earlier, and also against Udinese. We make them whenever we think it’s the right moment.”