Stankovic: “We’ll play in Cremona like it’s a derby”

Sampdoria coach Dejan Stankovic shared his determination for the Blucerchiati to come away with a win against Cremonese on Monday evening. “This match is like a derby, a derby between the two sides at the bottom of the league and just like a derby, it could be a crucial moment.

“We need to be united throughout the game. The lads have shown they are ready and have incredible desire to improve. Now, we need to make the most of that to get our first win. I believe we can do it.”

He sees his side’s progression in the Coppa Italia as an important step. “Getting through to the next round was important for us and we managed to do it. We must not forget that we changed things up a bit. Lots of the lads hadn’t played a full 90 minutes, but they gave everything. They never gave up and I now know I can count on them. We were really happy at the end and that has allowed us to recover and work hard during the week ahead of this crucial game. We’re looking for our first win, just like they are too. We’ll give everything to achieve that.”

Stankovic believes the team will need to be fully focused on Monday. “Cremonese play direct football. They have strong, quick players, especially upfront. They look to play it to them and they can punish you if you’re not fully concentrated. They haven’t got the results they deserved.”

Finally, he was full of admiration for the Sampdoria fans who continue to get behind the team. “I know the fans will be supporting us. I was pleasantly surprised against Bologna and even more so against Ascoli. Pride is an important word. I said that we must defend it because there are so many fans supporting this team. I have no doubt about it, nor about our commitment, but we’ll have to give even more to return to Genoa smiling.”