Como are set for their UEFA Champions League bow as they host RB Leipzig at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, with Cesc Fabregas eager to open with a win.
Como are steadily entering the realm where they could be considered an upcoming giant of European football. Ironically, they make their Champions League bow against RB Leipzig, a team now considered a giant of sorts on the European circuit and already a regular on the premier European stage.
Sticking with Como, Cesc Fabregas has done a phenomenal job at the helm, but the owners and their support, especially financially, cannot be brushed aside. Compared to Leipzig, the Italian side have taken a different approach to get to where they are right now, but it is about being here consistently that will make Como a modern European giant of sorts.
They compete for the first time courtesy of their fourth-placed finish in Serie A last season, ahead of Juventus and AC Milan. Heading into the midweek European encounter, Como have made a strong start to the season despite their opening-day draw, though they have since registered wins over Napoli and Genoa. All three games were played on the road, and the Leipzig encounter is their first home game of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Leipzig make the trip to Como, and while their hosts are playing in the competition for the first time, the Bundesliga outfit qualified for their eighth edition in their history. Following the 2024/25 season, which had disastrous consequences after a 32nd-placed finish in the group phase, and then finishing seventh in the Bundesliga, Leipzig did not play European football last season.
Former boss Ole Werner managed to arrest the slump and ensured a third-placed finish last season, but that was not enough for the manager to keep his job, as Martin Demichelis has since taken over at the club. The Argentine tactician will hope to use his experience in the competition as a player to steer through something he will experience for the first time in the dugout.
Leipzig have had a mixed start to the season so far, as they have one win and a loss in two Bundesliga games, with the latter coming last weekend against Werder Bremen. Following their return to the UEFA Champions League, Demichelis will hope to finish at least in the top 24, but the ultimate aim would be a top-eight finish.
Team News & Tactics
Como
Como spending big on Moise Kean was necessary. Cesc Fabregas lacked a striker with experience in the UEFA Champions League, with the Italian attacker’s record of five goals and one assist in six games in the competition enough to convince the club to buy him off Fiorentina.
Fabregas’s front line dazzled at the weekend as Martin Baturina, Assane Diao, and Nico Paz had goals to their names, while Kean came off the bench to provide an assist. There is the possibility of bringing in the former Fiorentina man in place of striker Anastasios Douvikas.
While he has a dazzling attacking setup to back on, Fabregas only has Jayden Addai injured at the moment, although there are a host of players the club decided against registering for the UEFA Champions League.
Fabregas will set up in a 4-2-3-1 shape, with Lucas da Cunha and Luis Milla controlling the midfield setup. Jacobo Ramon and former Chelsea man Trevoh Chalobah will operate in the central defensive partnership, with Yan Couto and Alex Valle reprising the full-back roles.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Butez; Couto, Ramon, Chalobah, Valle; Cunha, Milla; Diao, Paz, Baturina; Kean
RB Leipzig
Martin Demichelis will have to deal with a host of absentees due to injuries, with the Argentine manager likely to be without at least seven of his first-team stars for this Champions League opener.
Those include Christoph Baumgartner and Castello Lukeba, while Rocco Reitz, Assan Ouedraogo, Brajan Gruda, Romulo, and Viggo Gebel are the other absentees. Demichelis will likely set up in a 4-3-2-1 shape, with Willi Orban and Maxime Esteve forming the central defensive pairing for Die Roten Bullen.
Ridle Baku and David Raum will play the full-back roles, while Demichelis will deploy Neil El Aynaoui, Ezechiel Banzuzi, and Nicolas Seiwald in his three-man midfield. Antonio Nusa and Tidiam Gomis will play in the attacking roles behind striker and summer arrival Christopher Nkunku.
Probable Lineup (4-3-2-1): Vandevoordt; Baku, Orban, Esteve, Raum; El Aynaoui, Banzuzi, Seiwald; Gomis, Nusa; Nkunku
Key Stats
- Como are set to make their UEFA Champions League debut.
- Como have scored 13 and conceded four goals in their last six games across all competitions.
- RB Leipzig are set to play in their eighth Champions League campaign.
- RB Leipzig have scored 14 and allowed 12 goals in their last six games across all competitions.
Player to Watch
Nico Paz
The Argentine playmaker is set for a big step up in his career following Como’s decision to pay big and keep him at the club. The big step up is the UEFA Champions League, and this brings another opportunity to establish his name among Europe’s elite players.
On the pitch for Como, Paz will be extremely important for Cesc Fabregas in an effort to bring his attacking philosophy onto the pitch, especially in the UEFA Champions League. However, this game should be more of an occasion and less of pressure, even if there is a need to win, and Paz will be the man in focus against Leipzig.
Prediction
Como 2-1 RB Leipzig
The occasion could play a significant role in this clash as opposed to experience, which RB Leipzig have. The German giants will enter the UEFA Champions League game with the aim to win, but they could be surprised by Italian high-flyers Como.
Como, playing in their first-ever Champions League game, have a game to deliver for their fans, and this could mark a winning start to their maiden campaign in the competition. On the quality front, they might even edge Leipzig, and that might be the big reason why they are the slight favourites to win this opening game.
