Sampdoria steeled for Debrecen task
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Article summary
UC Sampdoria have lost just once in their last 14 European home games and will be anxious to rack up another win when Group I rivals Debreceni VSC make the trip to Genoa.
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UC Sampdoria commenced their UEFA Europa League Group I campaign with a 1-1 draw at PSV Eindhoven and will hope to kick on against Debreceni VSC, who began their own bid by losing 5-0 at home to the last side to beat their hosts in Genoa.
Previous meetings
• The two teams are meeting for the first time in UEFA club competition.
• Sampdoria tackled Budapest Honvéd FC in the second round of the 1991/92 European Champion Clubs' Cup, with a 2-1 loss in Budapest and a 3-1 win in Genoa representing the entirety of their experience of Hungarian opposition.
• Debrecen faced an Italian outfit for the only time to date in last season's UEFA Champions League group stage, losing 4-3 at home and 5-2 in Florence against ACF Fiorentina.
Match background
• Sampdoria have lost just once in their last 14 home games in Europe, with FC Metalist Kharkiv leaving the Stadio Luigi Ferraris boasting a 1-0 win in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup round of 32.
• Sampdoria featured in two UEFA Cup group stages, missing the cut in 2005/06 but qualifying for the knockout phase in 2008/09. Debrecen are featuring in the group stage of this competition for the first time.
• A 2-1 success at PFC Litex Lovech in the UEFA Europa League play-offs ended Debrecen's five-match wait for a European away win.
Team facts
• Domenico Di Carlo took over as Sampdoria coach in the summer after serving his coaching apprenticeship at Mantova FC, Parma FC and AC Chievo Verona. A defensive midfielder in his playing days, he spent the best years of his career with Vicenza Calcio, returning to the northern club after retirement to work with the youth team.
• Coach András Herczeg joined Debrecen as a youngster in 1970, and though he spent the latter part of his playing career elsewhere, he returned on retiring in 1988 to coach the club's youth and reserve teams. After winning two titles as assistant to Attila Supka in 2005 and 2006, Herczeg was given sole command in 2007 and has since won two league crowns and two Hungarian Cups of his own.
