Stankovic: “Morale high despite the emergency situation”

Dejan Stankovic says Samp are keeping their spirits up going into Sunday’s game at Juventus despite being struck by another dose of misfortune.

However, the boss admitted that Emil Audero will be sorely missed after the goalkeeper suffered a shoulder subluxation in midweek.

“I’m so sorry to lose Emil,” the Serbian began. “He’s our captain, a leader and he cares so much about this club and this team. He was playing really well and he’s a reliable presence between the sticks. We’re going to miss him.

“[Sam] Lammers is out and we need to assess [Michael] Cuisance and [Filip] Djuricic but I’m not very optimistic.”

A trip to Juventus is not the ideal fixture given the circumstances, yet Stankovic insists his side will give it their best.

“We’re facing a team that would be second in the table without the points penalty and who are making progress in Europe. Juve have an excellent squad. They tough, well drilled and are playing at home. Their football is very direct and [Massimiliano] Allegri is a coach I rate highly. We’re in an emergency situation but we have to go there and produce a performance.

“We’re Sampdoria and we must keep our morale high because of the club we represent. Despite all our problems we must be proud to fight for this club in every match.

“I wasn’t happy after the draw with Salernitana as we could have done more. We should have been a bit bolder and taken more risks.

“It’s a difficult season for us in every way. Credit to [Leonardo] Semplici and Spezia for beating a top side yesterday, but that’s the way things go. We have to focus on ourselves and keep working hard. It’s a joy for me to coach these lads every day. They’re giving their all and they must do that again tomorrow.”