Parma host Sassuolo at the Stadio Ennio Tardini on Sunday afternoon in the final round of Serie A, with both sides arriving at the finish line carrying little more than pride. Parma have lost their last three matches, while Sassuolo go into the game after back-to-back defeats of their own.

Parma sit 13th on 42 points and are seven points behind Sassuolo, who are 11th on 49. The home side have won only two of their last 11 matches and have taken just four home wins all season, alongside six draws and eight defeats. They have scored 27 goals across the campaign, a figure that has shaped much of their season.

Sunday offers Parma a chance to steady a campaign that has faded late. They lost 3-2 at home to AS Roma before a 1-0 defeat away at Como, results that extended the pressure on a side already short on goals. For Sassuolo, the trip to Emilia-Romagna is their last league outing after a season that has already delivered promotion and a return to the top flight in their first year back.

Sassuolo’s own form away from home has been a problem. They have five away wins, five away draws and eight away defeats, and they have not won any of their last 12 away matches. Their latest setbacks came in a 2-1 loss at Torino and then a 3-2 home defeat to Lecce, sealed by a 95th-minute winner. Even so, they have scored in three consecutive matches, which gives them at least some attacking momentum heading into the finale.

The reverse fixture ended 1-1, a result that fits a broader pattern in this matchup. Parma have five wins in 13 previous meetings in all competitions, while Sassuolo have three. At the Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma have won three of the six home meetings, with Sassuolo taking two.

Neither side has much left to chase beyond the final standings, although Sassuolo still have a slim chance of finishing in the top half. The contrast is sharper on Parma’s side, where a low-scoring attack has defined the season and left them needing more from the same fixtures that have often been within reach. Injury absences also shape the game, with Benjamin Cremaschi, Filippo Rinaldi, Jacob Ondrejka, Adrian Bernabe, Nesta Elphege, Matija Frigan, Gaetano Oristanio, Daniel Boloca, Filippo Romagna, Sebastian Walukiewicz, Jay Idzes and Fali Cande all unavailable for the match.

That leaves Sunday’s closing fixture as a final test of control rather than consequence. Parma want to stop the slide. Sassuolo want to keep one eye on where they finish after a season that has already brought them back to Serie A.