Barreto, Quagliarella and Strinic return to group training as Samp continue derby prep

Marco Giampaolo’s Sampdoria squad were back at a sunny Centro Sportivo Gloriano Mugnaini on Thursday to continue preparations for Saturday night’s derby showdown with Genoa.

The players involved for all or most of the win over Atalanta had a recovery session, while the rest of the players focused on technique exercises and tactical drills. Edgar Barreto, Fabio Quagliarella and Ivan Strinic returned to group training for the first time since injury, while youngster Ognjen Stijepovic joined in with the first-team squad.

Dawid Kownacki (individual recovery plan) and Ricky Alvarez (treatment and physiotherapy) did not take part in group training.

Samp will train again tomorrow, with Giampaolo set to hold his pre-match news conference at 13:00 CET (live on Twitter, highlights on Samp TV).