Fabregas: ‘Como Champions League debut must be like any other game’

Fabregas: ‘Como Champions League debut must be like any other game’ Cesc Fabregas is eager to relax Como ahead of their historic Champions League debut against RB Leipzig. ‘It has to be a game like all the others, played with our identity.’ It kicks off at the Stadio Sinigaglia on Thursday at 20.00 UK time (21.00 CEST). This is a truly historic moment for the club, that has never even been in UEFA competition before, let alone the Champions League. They also started their Serie A season well, as after the 1-1 draw with Udinese, the Lariani beat Napoli and Genoa. Fabregas keeps Como calm NAPLES, ITALY – AUGUST 30: Cesc Fabregas, Head Coach of Como applauds the fans after the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Como 1907 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on August 30, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images) “First and foremost, I would like to send a message of support to our player Roberta Picchi,” said Fabregas at the start of his press conference. “We are a family, so we send her a big hug and we are by her side.” The member of the Como Women squad was diagnosed with breast cancer , so the club extended her contract for another year to help support her during recovery. “Tomorrow is a game like any other, we must try to win, just like we do every match. I understand the emotions of the city and the club, but we must also do well to remember it is just a football match. “Leipzig are a great team and we must view this as an opportunity to keep growing. We want to be at the top, so we’ll see how it goes, but we have faith.” NAPLES, ITALY – AUGUST 30: Cesc Fabregas, Manager of Como, reacts during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Como 1907 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on August 30, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images) This will be the first ever fixture for Como in European competition, so will Fabregas choose his starting XI based on characteristics or experience? “I will choose whoever will help me achieve the objective, which is victory. You’ve known me for two and a half years now, you realise that experience is of no real interest to me. “Just look at what happened yesterday, we saw players with over 100 Champions League games under their belts and they made mistakes. So the best choice is whatever helps us to win. “Look, I understand that the big theme here is that it’s the first ever Como game in the Champions League, but for the players, it has to be a game like all the others,” insisted Fabregas. COMO, ITALY – MAY 17: Cesc Fabregas Head coach of Como 1907 celebrates the win at end of the Serie A match between Como 1907 and Parma Calcio 1913 at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on May 17, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Cottini/Getty Images) “We are at a level now where two minutes before the team meeting, I still have choices to make. That shows you how the level has been raised, and how close the players are. Even now, nobody can tell who will start tomorrow, they are all prepared to give a hand.” Has Fabregas prepared a speech for the squad before this historic occasion? “I never prepare a speech, I am someone who has to just express what I feel in the moment.” There were some doubts as to whether the Stadio Sinigaglia would even be able to host a Champions League fixture this season, but renovations were completed over the summer to ensure it was up to UEFA code. COMO, ITALY – MAY 10: Supporters of Como Calcio during the match between Como Calcio and Cosenza Calcio serie B at Stadio G. Sinigaglia on May 10, 2024 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images) Considering his style of football, could Europe even suit Fabregas more by opening up the spaces compared to Serie A? “We’ll see after tomorrow’s game! I don’t know, we can have an idea of what might happen, I saw three or four matches yesterday. We have a certain concept of football, we can’t focus too much on the opponents. “The important thing for me is that, no matter what happens, we express our idea of football. This is what football means to me, every game must be played with our identity.” GENOA, ITALY – APRIL 26: Cesc Fabregas, head coach of Como, looks on prior to kick-off in the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and Como 1907 at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on April 26, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images) RB Leipzig are also not a club with a very long history in the Champions League, but has in recent years become a bit of a juggernaut. “Leipzig is a great club, creating a culture that started from scratch 20 years ago. I also know Martin Demichelis and others in the club, they are great people and professionals, so I am not surprised by what they’ve built. Tomorrow will be a very difficult match,” continued Fabregas. “I hope that the lads step onto the field feeling that they can win, just as we did when I first arrived and we were playing in Serie B. Our responsibility is just to give our best and think of today, not tomorrow. “Leipzig are accustomed to this stage and so we need to show character. There might be matches where we have a 20-30 per cent chance of winning, but we’ve got to extrapolate 100 per cent of that 20-30 per cent.” COMO, ITALY – APRIL 12: Como 1907 coach Cesc Fabregas looks on during the Serie A match between Como 1907 and FC Internazionale at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on April 12, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) If he doesn’t have experience of the Champions League as a coach, Fabregas certainly does as a player. “I can’t even remember the last match I played, it feels like it was 50 years ago, so this shows you how fast life moves… In Europe there is so much quality, they kill you at the first mistake. We’ve got to understand every moment of the match and keep trying to improve.”