Planning to watch Parma - Cagliari live at Ennio Tardini? Prepare your ticket purchase for the Serie A match on 22 August 2026 and organise your stadium arrival in advance. You can expect a season opener between two sides separated by only two points in the previous campaign and an early fight for momentum
Parma - Cagliari: guide to opening the new season at Ennio Tardini
Parma and Cagliari open the 2026/27 Serie A season against each other at Ennio Tardini, in a match that immediately provides a good indication of how ready both teams are after the summer changes. The current schedule for the opening round lists the match for Saturday, 22 August at 20:45 CEST. For Parma, it is an opportunity to start the new league season in front of their own supporters, while Cagliari arrive after a summer in which the midfield gained several important new options.
Last season ended with very little separating these rivals. Parma collected 45 points and finished 13th, while Cagliari had 43 points and finished 14th. The new league standings now start from zero, but that two-point difference helps explain why this pairing already looks like a relevant test in the opening round for teams that want to build a safe points cushion as early as possible and avoid a long battle in the lower part of the table.
Both teams enter the final phase of preparations after victories in their first competitive matches of the season. Parma beat Catania 2-0 at Tardini on 14 August, with Simone Lontani scoring both goals. Cagliari defeated Arezzo 1-0 at home on the same day, with Alessandro Deiola scoring from the penalty spot. This means both coaches enter the start of the league with a result that provides calm, but also with enough details to refine before facing a much more demanding opponent.
It is worth securing tickets in time.
What is already at stake in the opening round
There is no league table to defend in the opening round, but there are objectives that are already visible from the summer moves. Parma, under Carlos Cuesta, continue to build a younger and more mobile team, with changes in attack. Mateo Pellegrino left the club and moved to Fiorentina, while Parma brought in El Bilal Touré on loan from Atalanta and signed Argentine striker Jose David Romero on 14 August.
Cagliari have also made significant changes in midfield and attack. Harry Winks arrived from Leicester City, Jacopo Fazzini from Fiorentina, and Daniel Maldini from Atalanta. After the victory over Arezzo, Pisacane stressed that he wants a team that will be solid without the ball, but technically better with it. The combination of Winks and Fazzini in particular should help Cagliari avoid depending solely on transitions and long attacks after winning possession.
The most important signs of form before the start of the league
- Parma - Catania 2-0: Simone Lontani scored both goals in the first half.
- Parma - Sampdoria 0-2: the final major pre-season test before the cup match showed problems after conceding two early goals.
- Parma - Iraklis 1-1: Cuesta's team had problems with the opposition's pressing, but raised their lines in the second half and equalised.
- Cagliari - Arezzo 1-0: Fabio Pisacane's team advanced without conceding a goal.
- Cagliari - Nice 0-0, followed by a victory after penalties: another match in which the defence remained unbeaten over 90 minutes.
- Union Berlin - Cagliari 2-2: Cagliari led 2-0 but conceded two goals late on.
Parma: Bernabé as the pivot, Lontani as the new name
Adrián Bernabé remains one of the most important players in the way Parma build their attacks. After surgery in May, he returned to competitive action, and against Catania he started the match and played until the 66th minute. His value is not only in the final pass. Parma use him as a player who can slow the tempo, escape the first line of pressure and then accelerate the attack with a vertical ball.
The player who attracted the most attention after the first cup match, however, was Simone Lontani. The young midfielder scored twice against Catania, first after a set piece and then following a run down the right and a cross to the far post. Cuesta now has reason to consider how much space to give a player who immediately took his opportunity.
Enrico Delprato and Alessandro Circati provide experience in the back line, while Emanuele Valeri is important for width. Against Catania, Parma started with a back four, and Cuesta confirmed after the match that defending with four players is a solution the team already knows. This matters in preparation for Cagliari because Parma must find a balance between putting pressure on Winks' distribution and protecting the space behind the full-backs.
The new hierarchy in attack is still taking shape. El Bilal Touré got minutes against Catania, Romero signed only a few days before the league opener, and Matja Frigan is also part of the rotation. It is therefore more realistic to expect a flexible attack than to decide in advance who will be the fixed number nine.
Cagliari: more technique in midfield and several new solutions
Fabio Pisacane has a clear idea of what he wants to change. After Arezzo, he spoke about the need for Cagliari to be stable without the ball but better in possession. Harry Winks is a very logical addition in that respect. The English midfielder can receive the first ball in front of the defence, connect the lines and calm the match when the opponent wants to turn it into a series of transitions.
Against Arezzo, Pisacane used Caprile in goal, Zé Pedro, Deiola and Juan Rodríguez in the back line, while Winks and Fazzini were part of the midfield. Paul Mendy started up front but went off because of fatigue. After the match, Pisacane said that he is also waiting for Kevin Carlos, while Gennaro Borrelli represents another option for the central position.
One more firmly confirmed long-term fitness problem in Cagliari's squad concerns Riyad Idrissi, who underwent surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in March and was still working on his return during the early part of pre-season. For other potential absences ahead of the Parma match itself, the latest club information should be monitored because players' status can change during the final week of preparations.
Tactical battle: who will control midfield
The most interesting part of the match could be the space between Parma's first line of pressure and Cagliari's two or three midfielders. If Winks is given time to turn and play the first pass towards Fazzini or a player between the lines, Cagliari can force the home midfielders to retreat. If Parma close off that first pass and win the ball high up the pitch, their quicker attackers can immediately attack a defence that is not yet set.
For Parma, a lot will depend on Bernabé. If Cagliari close him down with direct pressure and break his connection with the players between the lines, the hosts will have to use the flanks more. If Bernabé gets space, his vertical passes can speed up the match and put Lontani, Touré or other attacking options into one-on-one situations.
For Cagliari, the key is how successfully Winks and Fazzini can remain available under pressure. Pisacane does not want a team that merely survives without the ball. The idea is that, after winning possession, they should not automatically play a long pass but instead find cleaner progression through midfield. That will be tested immediately at Tardini.
Head-to-head meetings warn Parma
The recent history of this fixture favours Cagliari. Parma have not won any of the last five league meetings, while Cagliari have four victories and one draw.
- Parma - Cagliari 1-1, 2025/26 season.
- Cagliari - Parma 2-0, 2025/26 season.
- Cagliari - Parma 2-1, 2024/25 season.
- Parma - Cagliari 2-3, 2024/25 season.
- Cagliari - Parma 4-3, 2020/21 season.
The most recent meeting at Tardini ended 1-1. Michael Folorunsho gave Cagliari the lead in the second half, and Gaetano Oristanio equalised in the 83rd minute. That result belongs to last season and the squads have changed in the meantime, but the pattern is important: Parma have not had easy matches against Cagliari for a long time, even at home.
Ennio Tardini: a city stadium with stands close to the pitch
Ennio Tardini is located at Viale Partigiani D'Italia 1, in an urban area of Parma relatively close to the city centre. The stadium has a capacity of 23,324. Its distinctive feature is not only the age of the venue but also the fact that the stands are close to the pitch, so the rhythm of the match is felt more directly than at stadiums with an athletics track or a greater distance from the playing surface.
For the first home league match, this means the heaviest congestion will be concentrated precisely in the residential streets around the stadium. The city introduces temporary parking bans and traffic restrictions for matches, with details depending on the specific fixture. For that reason, driving directly to the stadium is not the best strategy.
Seats in the stands are disappearing quickly.
How to get there and where to leave your car
- From the railway station, the stadium can normally be reached by city bus lines 8, 9 and 11.
- On matchdays, certain lines change their routes around Tardini, so current notices should be checked before departure.
- For home matches, TEP activates transport to the stadium from the Palazzetto dello Sport and Park Sud-Est areas.
- The stadium has no dedicated private parking for passenger cars; surrounding streets are often included in temporary restriction zones.
- For away supporters, Parma uses the Scambiatore Nord car park with organised transport to the away section.
The exact opening time of the entrances for Parma - Cagliari had not been published in verified sources by 16 August. The safest option is to plan an earlier arrival and check the latest organisational notice before the match, especially because of possible traffic closures and changes to bus routes.
What to expect in the stands and before the first whistle
Tardini reinforces that impression because the stadium is compact and integrated into the city streets. Supporter flows begin to separate even outside the venue itself, while the away section has a special arrival procedure. For a neutral visitor, this is another reason to arrive earlier, not because of a ceremony, but to move more easily through the area around the stadium and find the correct entrance without rushing.
Ticket sales for this match are ongoing.
Practical reminder for visitors
The most important thing is to plan around the local kick-off time of 20:45 CEST according to the current schedule for the opening round. Arriving at the last moment carries additional risk because of traffic restrictions around Viale Partigiani D'Italia and possible diversions of bus routes. Visitors who do not need to drive into the city centre have simpler options in the form of the train, public transport and shuttle services.
A valid identity document and the appropriate ticket should be brought to the stadium. Tardini's rules require entry through the designated pedestrian entrances, and larger bags and backpacks are not allowed. Special rules and prior approvals apply to people planning to bring banners, megaphones or similar equipment, so such details should be checked before travelling.
Sources:
- Lega Serie A - schedule for the opening rounds of 2026/27, final 2025/26 standings and head-to-head results between Parma and Cagliari.
- Parma Calcio 1913 - Parma - Catania 2-0, statements by Carlos Cuesta, Parma - Cagliari schedule, stadium information and summer transfers.
- Cagliari Calcio - Cagliari - Arezzo 1-0, pre-season matches, statements by Fabio Pisacane and the arrivals of Winks, Fazzini and Maldini.
- TEP Parma - bus routes, route changes on matchdays and shuttle transport to Tardini.
- Comune di Parma - traffic restrictions and parking arrangements in the stadium area for matches in August 2026.