Sampdoria: Into the breach

Sampdoria will begin to taste the fruits of last seasons labour tommorow when they line up in the Weserstadion in Bremen to take on the mighty Werder. Werder have been responsible for playing entertaining football in recent years namely through attacking midfield sensations Diego and Mesut Ozil. However, today the latter completed a move to Real Madrid to potentially derail their campaign before it has even begun especially if the negativity of loosing their best player puts a downer on the dressing room. However, Bremen are a club that are familiar with European football in recent years. Champions League wins over Inter Milan and going toe to toe with Barcelona and Chelsea have been pleasures which their fans have witnessed in recent years.

For Sampdoria this is not the case, but they have at that level domestically as wins over Milan, Inter and Juve in recent season demonstrates. Whats more they have dealt with pressure to a certain degree as shown by holding onto fourth place last season amid strong competition right up to the finish line from Palermo and Napoli. They will need to call on this experience tomorrow night if they are to come away from Germany with a favourable result.

Unlike Werder however Sampdoria are in a position to call on their best players from last season. The mythical Antonio Cassano remains while Giampaolo Pazzini upfront seems to be the perfect foil for him. Palombo and Poli also line up in midfield with the creative Manini on the wings. However, despite reaching Europe no player of significance has arrived to help take them to that next level. The question is, will that be the problem tomorrow.