View from the Opposition: The quickfire scouting report on Sampdoria

We caught up with Genoa-based Il Secolo XIX journalist Dario Freccero to get the inside track on Sampdoria’s season so far ahead of Wednesday’s clash at Marassi.

Find out what kind of form Marco Giampaolo are in and who might be in the starting eleven he picks to face the Giallorossi...

With just over half of the season played, what do you make of Samp’s campaign so far?

"The first half of the season has definitely been a positive one. Thirty points at the halfway mark is one of Samp’s best-ever returns – it’s second only to Sinisa Mihajlovic’s total of 33 points three years ago, which was the highest total since the switch to three points for a win.

"The negative is without doubt the team’s poor form away from home. Marco Giampaolo’s side have only won once all season on the road, and that was way back on 27 August against Fiorentina. Having said that, Samp have been really impressive at home, something that continued with the recent win over Fiorentina.

"In terms of the team’s objectives, the Blucerchiati are currently in sixth position so it’s impossible not to start thinking about European football, but Giampaolo tries not to talk about that. As he’s said recently in interviews, in the past the problems have come when he has raised expectations and spoken openly about things like that. Samp are taking it one day at a time, which is something the coach is trying to promote. He thinks that his side only perform to their best when they are able to play with freedom."

What kind of formation will Giampaolo go for and who will we see in the starting eleven?

"I think the coach will go for a very similar team to the one that beat Fiorentina last time out. It will be a 4-3-1-2 formation with Emiliano Viviano in goal, Bartosz Bereszynski and Ivan Strinic at full-back, Matias Silvestre and Gian Marco Ferrari in central defence.

Lucas Torreira will be in the heart of midfield with Dennis Praet and Karol Linetty either side of him, Gaston Ramirez in attacking midfield and Duvan Zapata alongside Fabio Quagliarella – who scored a hat-trick against Fiorentina – up top, if the latter recovers in time.

If Quagliarella isn’t fit enough to take part, it’ll be former Giallorossi man Gianluca Caprari who comes in."

Who is Samp’s key player for the Roma game?

"Dennis Praet had a great game against Fiorentina despite having dropped off a bit before the winter break. His return to form could really improve the quality of the Blucerchiati’s play."

If you could take one player out of the Roma team, who would it be?

"I don’t know who’ll be available to play but I’ll go with Radja Nainggolan. I think the type of player he is, combined with his quality and consistency, mean he’s the man who can really hurt Samp."