Inter visit former coach Cristian Chivu’s old club Parma on Wednesday with momentum and pressure high, as Aleksandar Kolarov insists the Serie A leaders are heading on the correct path and remain favourites
for the 2025-26 Scudetto after a convincing home success over Bologna kept rivals AC Milan and Napoli at arm’s length.
Inter have climbed to the top of the Serie A standings since Chivu arrived from Parma in June, and Opta’s supercomputer currently projects a dominant title chance, giving Inter a 59.6% likelihood of winning the Scudetto, well ahead of defending champions Napoli on 21.8%, underlining how expectations have shifted this season.
Chivu was hired partly for the mentality shown during a successful playing career, after Inter ended the previous campaign frustrated, having finished runners-up in Serie A, the Champions League and the Supercoppa Italiana, while also exiting the Coppa Italia at the semi-final stage, leaving the club feeling that several targets had slipped away very narrowly.
Kolarov explained that the new staff aimed for refinement rather than upheaval, saying: "We didn't want to transform Inter, but rather add things. The team came so close to winning many trophies last season and unfortunately just missed out," before stressing that detailed training work has nudged the squad onto a stronger track this campaign.
Kolarov added that the group understands how the league picture can shift once the campaign’s second half begins, stressing Inter’s current status brings extra demands, as the players want to defend first place in Serie A, yet accept that staying there will require sustained physical effort, tactical discipline and mental focus in every match, home or away.
The assistant spoke after Inter’s victory against Bologna, where Piotr Zielinski, Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram scored at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, because Chivu lost voice during the touchline contest, a situation that recalled Simone Inzaghi’s previous struggles to speak following intense games, when the former coach often missed post-match broadcast duties.
Inter and Parma Serie A coaches and touchline intensity
Reflecting on Chivu’s animated style, Kolarov admitted the impression of a calm figure is misleading and suggested the volume may even increase as pressure builds, stating: "Chivu seems very calm, but he's really not! I think Cristian might even shout more,confessed Kolarov. Having said that, I was not as close on the bench with Inzaghi as I was with Chivu, so it might just be the distance. "
Parma, now coached by Carlos Cuesta, sit 14th in Serie A but approach the meeting with some confidence after losing only one of the last four league matches, with two wins and a draw, and Cuesta’s side will attempt to disrupt Inter’s title push by extending this solid mini-run at Stadio Ennio Tardini.
Inter and Parma Serie A players to watch
Parma forward Mateo Pellegrino has emerged as a key figure before Inter’s visit, having provided an assist against Fiorentina and then scored versus Sassuolo; Pellegrino could become Parma’s first player with goal involvement in three straight Serie A matches since Dejan Kulusevski achieved that sequence in July 2020, with the last Argentinian to manage it being Hernan Crespo in late 2010.
Inter’s attacking focus again centres on Lautaro Martinez, who has now scored in five consecutive Serie A games for Inter, matching a personal best first set between December 2023 and January 2024, and the next goal would see Martinez become the first Nerazzurri player since Julio Cruz, between October and December 2007, to find the net in six successive league appearances.
7 - Solo Alessandro Altobelli (otto), Giuseppe Meazza e Benito Lorenzi (nove entrambi) contano pi campionati diversi con almeno 10 gol all'attivo nella storia dell'#Inter rispetto a #LautaroMartnez (sette - 10 gol nella #SerieA in corso). Implacabile. pic.twitter.com/KLWXB4k399OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) January 4, 2026
Inter and Parma Serie A head-to-head and match prediction
Inter enter this fixture unbeaten in seven Serie A meetings with Parma, earning four wins and three draws, but have never previously managed to go eight consecutive league games without defeat against Parma, whose last top-flight success over the Nerazzurri came on 15 September 2018, a result that feels distant given the current balance between the clubs.
The most recent encounter, a 2-2 draw on 5 April, offers Parma some encouragement, as another draw would mark the first time since the period between September 2004 and February 2005 that Parma and Inter produce consecutive Serie A stalemates, with both of those earlier games also finishing 2-2, underlining a curious pattern in this fixture.
Chivu’s Inter, however, have travelled well in Serie A this season, winning six of eight away league matches, with two defeats, and another victory at Ennio Tardini would mean at least seven wins from the opening nine away fixtures for only the fifth time in club history, reinforcing Inter’s strong platform in the title race.
Parma could reach some internal milestones too, as avoiding defeat would produce a three-game unbeaten run in Serie A for the first time under Carlos Cuesta, while a win would bring back-to-back home league victories, after the recent 1-0 success against Fiorentina, something last achieved in January 2020 when Roberto D’Aversa’s side beat Lecce and Udinese.
Opta’s model reflects Inter’s superior form and squad depth, calculating Parma’s victory probability at 14.5%, a draw at 19.5% and an Inter win at 65.9%, reinforcing the view that Chivu’s team approach the match as clear favourites despite Parma’s recent improvement and the emotional context surrounding the coach’s return.
| Outcome | Opta win probability |
|---|---|
| Parma win | 14.5% |
| Draw | 19.5% |
| Inter win | 65.9% |
The meeting at Stadio Ennio Tardini therefore combines Inter’s push to maintain control of the Serie A title race, Kolarov’s belief in Chivu’s demanding methods and Parma’s attempt to stretch a positive spell under Cuesta, with historical trends, player form and predictive data all pointing towards an Inter success, yet leaving scope for a competitive contest.
