Preview: Roma looking to respond after humiliation in Turin
The Giallorossi had their perfect start to the season ruined by a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Juventus on Sunday and will now be looking to keep the defeat behind them with a strong performance against Sampdoria.
Luckily for Rudi Garcia both Daniele De Rossi and Leandro Castan who earned their marching orders in the match against Juventus will be available for selection for the cup tie, but will serve their suspensions in the weekend Serie A match against Genoa.
The Coppa Italia has earned Roma more silverware than any other competition and if La Maggica manage to win the competition this time around they will be the first Italian team to have won it ten times.
Last time Roma won the tournament was back in 2008 when they met Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia Final for the fourth consecutive season. Goals from Philippe Mexes and Simone Perrotta earned Lupi their second consecutive cup title and their ninth overall.
Manager Rudi Garcia has expressed his delight on the capture of Belgian star Nainggolan who has been loaned from Italian club Cagliari with Roma having the option to co-own him by the end of the current season.
“What does Nainggolan offer us? We can talk about him because he's a Roma player now and I can say that we'll be a stronger team with Radja,” he told a Press conference.
“He's not just a signing for the second half of this season but for the future too - we hope to be playing in Europe next year so having another quality option is a good thing.”
The 25 year old will however have to wait for his first appearance in a Roma shirt being unavailable for the match against Sampdoria.
Roma should be wary of a Sampdoria side which has fared well under new manager Sinisa Mihajlovic who replaced Delio Rossi at the end of November. Under the former Serbia head coach, the Blucerchiati have lost only once which was in their last outing against Napoli where they suffered a 2-0 loss at the Stadio San Paolo.
Apart from new signing Nainggolan, Roma will also be without Balzaretti, Romagnoli and Pjanic whereas striker Marco Borriello is suspended for the match.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, Live scores
Watch Roma vs Sampdoria live on Thursday, January 9, 2014:
In Canada at 12:00 ET on beIN Sports Play Canada
In US at 12:00 ET on beIN Sports Play, beIN Sports USA
The match can also be internationally viewed on bwin.
For complete details of match listings and live scores, visit the Roma vs Sampdoria match page.
