Sampdoria aim to end Metalist duck

Having lost against FC Metalist Kharkiv for a third time on Matchday 3 to surrender second place, UC Sampdoria will look to regain their UEFA Europa League Group I momentum with a first victory against the Ukrainian side.

Previous meetings
• The sides met for a third time on Matchday 3.

• Myron Markevich's Metalist knocked out Sampdoria, then coached by Walter Mazzarri, from the 2008/09 UEFA Cup in the round of 32, winning 1-0 in Genoa and 2-0 in Ukraine.

• The teams for their previous meeting at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on 18 February 2009 were:
Sampdoria: Castellazzi, Stankevičius, Raggi, Lucchini, Padalino*, Dessena* (Sammarco*, 58), Palombo*, Franceschini (Pieri, 58), Ziegler* (Marilungo*, 74), Bellucci, Cassano*.
Metalist: Goriainov, Maidana, Obradović*, Papa Gueye*, Bordian*, Edmar* (Gancarczyk, 90), Rykun (Berezovchuk*, 89), Sliusar, Oliynyk*, Jajá (Dević*, 79).

*eligible to play in this match

• Metalist have never played any other Italian sides in Europe, while they are also the only Ukrainian team that Sampdoria have ever come up against.

Match background
• Sampdoria's 1-0 loss to Metalist back in 2009 is their only home defeat in their last 15 European fixtures at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

• Metalist are unbeaten in four away games in Europe (three wins and a draw) and on their last foreign trip posted a 5-0 win at Debreceni VSC

Team facts
• There were 46 fouls committed during Matchday 3's game between these two sides; more than in any other match so far in this season's group stage.

• Metalist's Oleg Shelayev celebrates his 34th birthday on the day after the match.

• Metalist's Taison and FC Dynamo Kyiv's Artem Milvekiy have been fouled 15 times in the first three matchdays, more than any other players in the group stage. Another Metalist player, Edmar, is the next most fouled player, having been awarded 13 free-kicks.

• All three of Sampdoria's group stage goals this season have come before half-time.

• 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.

• Markevich has been coach of Metalist since summer 2005, briefly combining his job with that of Ukraine coach before stepping down to focus on his club duties in summer 2010. Having retired as a player at 28, he reached new heights after moving to Kharkiv, leading the club to four successive third-place league finishes from 2006/07 onwards – the best results in their history – as well as European success.