Parma vs Cagliari preview - Donadoni wants "giant step" to safety

Parma coach Roberto Donadoni has urged his players to keep up the good work as they look to take another step towards Serie A safety in the clash against Cagliari.

The Ducale club won 2-0 over Novara in the last round and lie in 14th place, with a four-point cushion over the drop zone with six games remaining.

"A victory on Saturday would be a giant step towards defending our Serie A status," Donadoni said. "The important thing for us will be to get a result that allows us to move up in the standings."

Parma showed a drastic improvement against Novara, keeping a clean sheet for the third time this year.

"All we want to do is to continue to win," Donadoni said. "We are playing very well and showing a lot of determination and hunger, which are vital ingredients to avoid the drop."

Fortunately for the hosts, Cagliari have struggled to get results away from home, with their last victory dating back to December 4.

Since then, the Sardinian outfit has mustered three points - all from draws - of a possible 27.

A 1-0 loss at Bologna last time out dropped Cagliari to 15th place, level on 38 points with Parma.

Cagliari coach Massimo Ficcadenti has demanded a drastic improvement from his players, starting at the Ennio Tardini stadium on Saturday.

"We have to improve our performances when playing away from home," Cagliari coach Massimo Ficcadenti said. "We cannot afford to throw away points at this stage of the campaign.

"We must do better."

Lack of goalscoring has been Cagliari's main problem with the Sardinians having failed to find the back of the net in their last six games on the road.

Thiago Ribeiro will partner Mauricio Pinilla in Cagliari's attack this weekend.