From the stands to the pitch, Sampdoria appear to be a club galvanised by their shot at redemption. 

After defeating Salernitana 2-0 at home in the first leg of the Serie B play-out, the second leg – live and free to watch on Destination Calcio TV – takes place at the Stadio Arechi on Sunday.

An outbreak of food poisoning pushed the game back 48 hours, with players and staff from the Salerno outfit hospitalised and training cancelled at the start of the week.

This was just the latest chapter in the saga of the Serie B post-season but there was good news for Salernitana boss Pasquale Marino on Thursday. He was able to bring back the eight players who were ill and training resumed as normal.

But Samp also go into this one with their tails up after goals from Melle Meulensteen and Marco Curto at a sold-out and bouncing Marassi last Sunday.

It was Meulensteen who scored the opening goal to settle any nerves and he said: “That was important, it put us in a good situation, but there’s still the return leg. This season has been very stressful on a mental level, there has been little tranquility, especially in the last few months. And then for me in general having moved to a new country, with a new culture, a new language, the adaptation… it’s been a difficult year.”

A difficult year indeed. Just weeks ago, Samp fans were mocked by their city rivals as Genoa supporters carried wooden coffins through the streets. Sampdoria had been relegated to Serie C and were staring down the barrel.

Was administration looming? As if relegation to the third tier of Italian football wasn’t bad enough. It would be the first time in Samp’s 79-year history that they would play in Serie C, but in a twist of fate, everything changed, and Genoa fans would have to postpone their mock funeral for Il Doria.

With Brescia’s four-point deduction, moving them below Sampdoria in the table, Alberico Evani’s men were gifted a golden chance to salvage their future with a play-out berth.

Long after a season might usually finish, Destination Calcio was in the stands as the Luigi Ferraris filled with anticipation when Sampdoria hosted the Granata. Prior to that, the Via del Piano bounced with the chants of the ultras before kick-off, and one of Italy’s most historic clubs sensed they ought to take advantage. This was their moment to shine.

Local fans, before the game, were buoyed with enthusiasm. This was a free hit. They shrugged off the idea of relegation to Serie C as if it hadn’t just happened.Yet if they don’t finish the job on Sunday, they will become double the laughing stock, relegated twice in the same season.

Even though the first leg ebbed and flowed, and Salernitana had some openings of their own, it was Meulensteen and Curto who made it count in front of goal, the home faithful boisterous in support of their players, but against the club management.

“It’s always the fans who have to pay,“ read one of many banners unfurled by the Samp ultras at the start of the second half. The message to the owners was clear – “You did this to us; you have put this great club in this horrendous situation.” 

Victory cannot conceal two incredibly harsh realities for Sampdoria. It has still been their worst season in history, and they still have this tricky second leg to encounter.

The visitors will be without injured goalkeeper Alessio Cragno and suspended Fabio Borini while Salernitana boss Marino is considering a change up top and handing Antonio Raimondo a start.

Marino is looking for a response from his players, something they have done before. He said: “After the defeat against Sampdoria (on May 9), we won in Cittadella. We fall and get up on our own, the strong ones are those who get up after falling. This team has values ​​and has shown it. We can turn the result around if we put in not only quality but also intensity and desire.”

What do Salernitana need?

The last time these two met at the Arechi, back in August, Salernitana won 3-2, a result which signalled the end for Andrea Pirlo as the first of three Sampdoria managerial sackings across the season.

Salernitana, too, have suffered from chaos in the dugout, with Marino hired as Daniele Iervolino’s fourth coach of the season in April. Marino oversaw the 1-0 league defeat at Samp on matchday 37, and has won four and lost three since taking charge.

Given Salernitana’s higher finish in the table, and with the onus on the lower-ranked team to win, a 2-0 victory on Sunday would see them survive despite a 2-2 aggregate scoreline.

Everything on the line for Samp

If Sampdoria lose the play-out from this position the devastation will be more shocking than before. Such an outcome might also condemn them to the same fate as Brescia, relegation followed by administration. A victory would be like a return from the dead. However, it would not suggest that circumstances in Serie B would significantly improve in 2025-26.

It is hard to describe the crossroads that Sampdoria are facing, but on Sunday night, their fanbase tackled it head-on. A noise and gusto you certainly would not normally find at the average second-division relegation play-out.

Whilst FIFA has struggled to sell out stadiums at the glitzy new Club World Cup, the Sampdoria faithful sold out the Luigi Ferraris when their team needed it most.The job, however, is only half done.

Watch Salernitana vs Sampdoria LIVE and FREE on Sunday at 7.30pm BST on tv.destinationcalcio.com or on our app. Download to your Android or Apple device today.

By Joseph O’Sullivan for Destination Calcio.