ROME. May 4 (AP): Once again, Gabriel Batistuta is having a spectacular individual season. And once again, his club could go home empty-handed.

The Argentine star leads Fiorentina into the second leg of the Italian Cup final Wednesday night against visiting AC Parma, and the team from Florence needs a victory to salvage its disappointing campaign.

The first leg ended 1-1, on goals by Batistuta and Parma's Hernan Crespo.

Both finalists are out of the running for the Serie A title, though that's nothing new. Fiorentina last topped the league 30 years ago. and Parma have never finished first.

But while Parma will also go after a trophy in the May 12 UEFA Cup final, Fiorentina were kicked out of that competition back in November, after an explosive device was tossed onto the field during a game.

It all means that Batistuta must deliver Wednesday.

He has scored consistently since joining Fiorentina in 1991. averaging 18 goals-per-season and finishing among Serie A's leading scorers five times.

The tall forward has 20 goals this season and is on pace for liis second scoring crown of the decade (the other was in 1995). But he's occasionally been criticised for not improving his team the way other standout scorers can. and another year without a title would only add fuel to that argument.

The only success Batistuta has brought to Florerfbe was the 1996 Italian Cup.

Fiorentina and Parma both tuned up by notching league victories Sunday. Portugal's Rui Costa and Brazil's Edmundo each scored twice and Batistuta added the other before being expelled from Fiorentina's 5-1 rout of Perugia.

It was just the third time Batistuta had been kicked out of a game in his career; his last expulsion was in April 1993.

"We finally played the way we should have been all sea-

son." Fiorentina coach Giovanni Trapattoni said. 'We are charged for the game against Parma, even though we know it will be a real battle."

There was one sour note Sunday: defender Andrea Tarozzi tore his left hamstring muscle and is out for the season.

Parma snapped a four-game losing streak by barely getting past Empoli 1-0. It was far from the dominating performance one might have expected Parma to produce against the Serie As worst side.

Coach Alberto Malesani and several players acknowledged that they were thinking ahead to the cup final.

Malesani rested Argentine striker Crespo (team-high 16 goals). French midfielder Alain Boghossian and Argentine playmaker Sebastian Veron. All have nagging injuries, but the trio is expected to start Wednesday.

Another starting midfielder, national team stalwart Dino Baggio, is suspended.