Sampdoria finally got off the mark for the Serie B season last weekend.

Massimo Donati’s struggling troops, winless and pointless going into the game against Bari on Saturday, left the Stadio San Nicola with a precious point.

In fact, the Blucerchiati took the lead, through a solid strike from Fabio Depaoli, but were pegged back just four minutes later by Bari hitman Gabriele Moncini.

The one-time Serie A winners remain rooted to the foot of the Serie B table, a point behind Spezia and Bari.

Yet the draw will give Donati and his beleaguered men some confidence going into the home game against Catanzaro, themselves without a victory in the opening five rounds of the campaign.

“The team’s response was excellent again,” said Donati following the draw in Puglia. “As always, we could have done better, but I think we deserved this point. With a little more, we could have won, but that wasn’t the case. We responded as a team. 

“It’s important that the players are on point and want to get out of this situation.”

Catanzaro, meanwhile, have continued the theme of being the league’s stalemate specialists.

No side drew more than the Calabrian outfit last season, and this campaign they have drawn five from five.

Yet those five points means Alberto Aquilani’s men sit firmly in mid-table, just outside the cluster of clubs at the bottom.

Last time out, they drew 2-2 with Juve Stabia in a cracker of a game between two of last season’s play-off semi-finalists.

Juve Stabia raced into a 2-0 lead, before goals from Bruno Verrengia and who else but club talisman Pietro Iemmello, levelled the score.

Aquilani has now switched his attention to the challenge against Sampdoria, and hopes to build on the second-half performance against Juve Stabia.

“We are two teams that haven’t won yet, but with different difficulties and both aiming for that first win,” he said. “I hope to see improvements, even if we have to take note of the good things we did against Juve Stabia.”

Moreover, Aqualiani urged his side to retain focus ahead of the clash with Samp.

“Sometimes we get confused, giving our opponents the opportunity to hurt us, we must avoid these situations by using intensity and concentration,” he said.

“Especially against a team like Sampdoria who, regardless of the standings, have important players in their squad.”

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