Napoli goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu explains Gianluca Vialli was ‘like an extra teammate and a big brother’ to Italy players at EURO 2020, as they share initiatives with Sampdoria to remember him and Sinisa Mihajlovic.
It kicks off at Marassi at 17.00 GMT, you can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.
Samp are wearing special jerseys with the message for Vialli and Mihajlovic, the words ‘Luca Sinisa’ and the symbol for infinity.
Before kick-off, Sirigu, Giacomo Raspadori and Giovanni Di Lorenzo will lay flowers under the stands at the Sampdoria end, where the ultras sit, as they are representatives of the Italy squad that won EURO 2020 with Vialli as part of Roberto Mancini’s staff.
“We shared a wonderful experience at the Euros, something that he cared about in a special way. He gave us so much with his sensibility,” Sirigu told DAZN.
“Seen from the outside, he might seem like a political appointment to the staff, but he really was like an extra teammate for us, like a big brother we could look to for anything that we were concerned about.
“Along with the pain that we have right now, we also carry with us the memories and moments he gave us on a personal level and as a team.”