UEFA Champions League

Fàbregas: Como must compete with belief against United

The Como coach says his side will approach the Champions League challenge calmly as they prepare to face Manchester United.

Serena Will

The athlete perspective

Soccer Soccer · Champions League The athlete perspective

Como coach Cesc Fàbregas says his team must believe they can compete with Manchester United as the Italian club prepare for their UEFA Champions League meeting. The match has not been played.

In an interview published by UEFA on 19 October 2026, Fàbregas described reaching the competition as a major step for Como and said the club faced a difficult path to the next stage.

A demanding test for Como

Fàbregas called the meeting with United a significant occasion for Como and the city, while stressing that his priority was to try to win and take three points.

He said Como knew their opponents had strong players and an experienced manager. The coach also acknowledged the challenge of facing leading sides, saying his team would need to rely on its inner strength and mentality.

Building a coaching approach

Fàbregas told UEFA that working with coaches including Arsène Wenger, Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho had helped shape his thinking. He said he had taken lessons from those experiences while developing his own ideas and style of play.

He described wanting Como to remain true to their approach even in defeat, saying it mattered to him that the team had done what it set out to do.

From Como’s youth side to the Champions League

According to UEFA, Fàbregas coached Como’s youth team before helping the senior side win promotion to Serie A in 2024 as assistant to Osian Roberts. He then took charge as head coach.

UEFA reported that Como finished tenth in Fàbregas’s first season in charge and placed fourth last season to earn a Champions League place. Fàbregas said his earlier work with younger players and former team-mates taught him about discipline, organisation and making difficult selection decisions.