Giampaolo: “No fear. We must be bold against Roma”

Sampdoria will play without fear when they welcome Roma to Marassi on Sunday, insists Marco Giampaolo.

The form book and the two sides’ recent cup meeting, when Roma eventually ran out as clear winners despite Samp having the upper hand in the opening half an hour, would suggest the cards are stacked in favour of the Giallorossi, but the boss is adamant the result is by no means a foregone conclusion.

“Playing Roma doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll lose, just as playing Pescara doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll win,” the coach told journalists at a media conference on Saturday.

“We haven’t been picking up great results recently but we’ve been playing well. We’ll have to play the same way against Roma: we must be bold and show no fear. In fact, we’re happy to pit ourselves against a great team.”

The results and indeed the goals have dried up for Doria of late and Giampaolo pinpointed finishing – not creating – as Samp’s problem.

“Statistics mean something and they say that we’re the team who have hit the woodwork most often and had most shots on goal. We certainly need to improve our aim and be a bit more determined when it comes to shooting but we have no problem creating chances.”

Hear more of Giampaolo’s views ahead of Samp v Roma in the video below.