Massimiliano Allegri believes AC Milan cannot afford to lose more than one match for the remainder of the Serie A season, if they are to have any chance of catching title favourites Inter.
Milan trail their rivals by seven points going into matchday 26, having lost more ground when they drew 1-1 with Como on Wednesday.
Allegri was sent to the stands during the second half of that match following a scuffle on the sideline, as he felt Como boss Cesc Fabregas had pulled Alexis Saelemaekers back near the touchline, preventing a Rossoneri counter-attack.
Ignace van der Brempt also went unpunished for a challenge on Strahinja Pavlovic, and Allegri's red card means he is suspended for Sunday's meeting with Parma at San Siro.
"The season is still long, with 13 games to go. We have to do our job, starting with beating Parma," Allegri told reporters on Saturday.
"I'm disappointed not to be part of the game tomorrow. I won't comment or say anything else, so let's move on. These two games are very important for us, as are the derby and the others, until we reach our objective.
"Inter are on a very strong run, and with 13 games left, at an average of two points per game, they'd get 90. So, for us to get to 90, from 54, we need to get 36 points, meaning 12 wins and one defeat.
"If Inter were to fall off, and we fail to capitalise on their mistakes, that's our responsibility, but Inter are the clear favourites for the Scudetto."
Working towards the next one
— AC Milan (@acmilan) February 19, 2026
Centro Sportivo Milanello powered by Clivet pic.twitter.com/S6GJnwf9RF
Milan are unbeaten in their last 24 Serie A matches (15 wins, nine draws) and could record a run of at least 25 games without defeat in a single top-flight season for only the second time in their history, after the 34-match streak that lasted throughout the 1991-92 campaign.
However, the Opta supercomputer only assigns them an 8.2% chance of winning the Scudetto, compared to Inter's 89.8%.
"The further we go, the more important the games become. There are 13 games left, so there are 39 points up for grabs. We hope to get as many of them as possible," Allegri said.
"Talking about what happened [against Como] makes no sense; let's focus on tomorrow's match, because Parma are doing well. They are a very good defensive team; they're good at set-pieces. We will have to play a very organised and compact game."
Opponents Parma should offer a stern test, as they enter the game with 29 points from 25 matches, sitting 12th in the table.
In their previous five top-flight campaigns, Parma have only registered more points at this stage of a season on one occasion (35 in 2019-20, when they finished 11th).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
AC Milan – Rafael Leao
Leao has equalled his goal tally from the whole of last season (eight goals in 34 matches) and could score at least nine Serie A goals for the first time since 2023-24.
The Portugal forward has also been involved in three goals (two goals, one assist) in his last four league games against Parma, including a goal in the reverse fixture, which was his second penalty goal in Serie A (also scoring against Fiorentina last October).
Parma – Mateo Pellegrino
Among players with 10 or more goals in Europe's top five leagues since the start of last season, only Mikel Merino (64%) has scored a higher percentage of his goals via headers than Pellegrino (60%, six of 10).
He could also score in consecutive Serie A appearances for the first time, having netted a 93rd-minute winner against Verona last time out.
MATCH PREDICTION – AC MILAN WIN
After their 2-2 draw earlier this season, Milan and Parma could draw both of their Serie A matches in a single season for the third time, after 1993-94 and 2007-08.
Up next: AC Milan vs Parma
— Parma Calcio 1913 (@ParmaCalcio_en) February 19, 2026
Who remembers Adrián's wonder-strike in the return fixture? pic.twitter.com/9Tib7KYMzq
Additionally, in 14 of the last 15 Serie A matches between these two sides, both teams have scored (averaging 3.9 goals per game), with the only exception being Milan's 1-0 victory on December 1, 2019.
Parma are also the side against whom Milan currently have their longest scoring streak in Serie A, netting in 19 consecutive matches between the sides.
The Gialloblu could become only the fourth side, after Cagliari, Genoa and Sampdoria, against whom the Rossoneri have scored in 20 or more successive top-flight games.
Milan have won eight of their last 10 home Serie A matches against Parma (one draw, one loss), scoring an average of 2.7 goals per game in these encounters.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
AC Milan – 68.4%
Parma – 13.5%
Draw – 18.1%