Sampdoria vs Genoa: The Derby Della Lanterna

Serie A, after several years of Inter domination, is unusually competitive this season. However, despite some big games for the main contenders, the biggest match of the week involves two mid-table teams.

This Wednesday sees Sampdoria and Genoa play each other in the Genoa Derby, known in Italy as the Derby Della Lanterna, literally ‘The Derby of the Lantern,’ in reference to the city’s lighthouse. According to Marcello Lippi the game is ‘the most special in Italy.’

The game will be played at the Stadio Ferraris stadium, owned by the Municipality of Genoa and home to both clubs. It is, nominally, a home game for Samp.

It will be the 84th meeting between the two clubs since the formation of Sampdoria in 1946. At present it is the newcomer who has had the better of the fixture with 30 wins to Genoa’s 20.

Historically, Genoa are the more successful of the two. They were one of the early powerhouses of Italian football. Formed by an Englishman (hence why they are known by the English name for the city rather than the Italian Genova), they won nine titles before 1930 but are still looking for the tenth that would add a star to their crest.

Sampdoria, however have been the more successful recently. Since 1985 they have four Coppa Italia wins and a Serie A title in 1991 (with a European Cup final defeat to Barcelona following the season after).

Both have endured spells in Serie B since the millennium but are in their fourth season together in Serie A following Genoa’s promotion in 2007. Since then, they have had the edge in the derby with three wins against two for Sampdoria (with one draw). They also managed the double over their neighbours in 2008-09. Samp, however, won the last meeting between the two sides back in April.

Both have been fairly successful in the league during this time. Sampdoria were in the Champions League qualifying round this season, losing to Werder Bremen before going out of the Europa League at the group stage. Genoa achieved similar success the season before, a fifth place finish yielding a Europa League campaign of their own. In fact, they too would have reached the Champion’s League had the Serie A finishing positions for teams tied on points been decided by goal difference rather than their head-to-head record.

Season of struggle, winds of change

This season, however, has been something of a struggle for both with neither managing the challenge for the European places that both would have expected. They now sit next to each other in the bottom half of the table. Genoa 13th on 29 points, Sampdoria 12th on 30.

The problem for both seems to be scoring goals. Their defences are both fairly stingy compared to most Serie A sides but only the bottom two sides have scored fewer than Genoa’s current total of 19 and Sampdoria aren’t doing much better on 23, both having played 24 games.

Understandably then, both were busy in the January transfer window. For Sampdoria, however, the major deals saw players going out rather than coming in. They sold off arguably their two biggest assets in Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini to AC and Inter Milan respectively.

Inter were forced to fork out an estimated €12m plus Jonathan Biabiany to land Pazzini but Milan were able to get a better deal for Cassano. Samp were trying to cancel Cassano’s contract after he fell out with the club’s president (as has been the pattern during his career) and, while the details were not disclosed, it is believed that the two clubs have decided to split the payment of the remainder of the fee owed to Real Madrid between them.

Biabiany was the most important permanent addition for Samp and they may have got the better of the Pazzini deal in the long term. The French under-21 international certainly impressed in his games for Inter earlier in the season. They also bought in Federico Macheda from Manchester United on loan until the end of the season, former Middlesbrough forward Massimo Maccarone and six other players.

Whilst coming out of the transfer window better off financially, Samp may struggle in the remainder of the season having sold of their main creative influence and goalscoring threat. Much will be expected of Macheda who has already opened his account again Udinese in the Coppa Italia.

Genoa were able to hang on to their major assets although they lost Giuseppe Sculli to Lazio and Luca Toni to Juventus. They brought in a total of ten players with strikers being the main priority. To that end, they signed Mauro Boselli from Wigan, Antonio Floro Flores from Udinese and Alberto Paloschi from Parma. The first two on loan until the end of the season while Paloschi is co-owned with Milan.

On current form, neither will head into the fixture with much confidence. Prior to this weekends games both were near the bottom of the form table. Sampdoria are only just recovering from a serious goal drought. Prior to their 3-1 win over Bologna at the weekend, they had failed to score in the League since a 2-1 win over Roma on January 9th, resulting in a run of four defeats and one draw. Genoa also have only one win in six but have at least managed to score in four of those games.

Both teams will be hoping the derby is a turning point. Despite being at the wrong end of the table neither are really in the relegation battle at the moment with seven points separating Samp from the drop zone. However, should either lose the derby and continue on with their poor form then they may yet find themselves dragged into the fight.

Should neither improve then the second derby, which takes place with only three games remaining in the season could prove even more important. This first game, though, is likely to be played more for pride than anything else. A draw actually does neither much harm but is hardly likely to satisfy the fans either. The neutrals will simply be hoping the game lives up to reputation.

Stephen Farrell is a regular contributor to Just Football.

(photo by Rickyftw on Flickr)

Genoa, Italian Serie A, Italy, Sampdoria