Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven are doing great so far this season as they are top of the Dutch Eredivisie with 13 points and will be keen to transform their domestic form to the international arena.
PSV will be confident of garnering a win at home as besides having a strong and competitive squad, they also have a very brilliant record in Eindhoven - they have won their last seven European home games.
PSV will know that along with Sampdoria they will be the favourites to progress from this group but must bear in mind that they need to make a winning start on Thursday.
Samp On A Mission
Sampdoria have made a brilliant start to the season in spite of suffering the disappointment of not qualifying for the Champions League. Beaten by German Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in the play-off round over both legs, the Genoa-based side have bounced back strongly in Serie A and are currently third with four points from two matches.
"The objective is get through the group, and to do that, it is always best to start off winning because otherwise when you slip behind it is always harder,'' said striker Nicola Pozzi.
"PSV are one of the strongest teams currently in the Eredivisie and I think that it will be very attractive. We will try to take advantage of any opportunities we have.''
"My team showed great character against Juventus (during the 3-3 draw in Turin at the weekend) and that allowed us to take home a positive result,'' added coach Domenico Di Carlo.
"Considering we will play a game every three days, my players have to be smart and find the necessary maturity to deal with the pressure of playing in two competitions.''
TEAM NEWS
PSV
PSV coach Fred Rutten will be without Bulgaria international defender Stanislav Manolev, who has been ruled out for two weeks with a groin injury. However, goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson is likely to start in goal for the Dutch side. However, defender Francisco Javier Rodriguez is suspended.
Probable Lineup(4-3-3): Isaksson, Hutchinson, Marcelo, Bouma, Pieters; Afellay, Toivonen, Engelaar; Lens, Berg, Dzsudzsak,
Sampdoria
Sammarco, Poli, Tissone, Accardi and Guberti are out injured. There are no suspension worries for Samp.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Curci, Zauri, Gastaldello, Lucchini, Ziegler; Semioli, Palombo, Dessena, Mannini; Pazzini, Cassano
Prediction
A win for PSV looks likely given Sampdoria's less than impressive record in away games in Europe, but don't count out a scoring draw.
PSV 2-1 Sampdoria 
