Cesc Fabregas urges Como to believe ahead of Manchester United clash
Como coach Cesc Fabregas has called on his players to embrace the occasion and believe they can beat Manchester United when the English side arrive in Lombardy for Wednesday’s Champions League Matchday 3 fixture.
The match kicks off at 18:45 BST and gives Como a first major European night at home against three-time continental champions United. Fabregas wants his team to stay composed while testing themselves against one of the game’s established powers.
A rapid route to Europe
- Como won promotion to Serie A in 2024.
- The club then finished fourth in the Italian top flight last season, earning a place in European competition.
- They now host Manchester United with qualification from the Champions League league phase still a difficult target.
Fabregas said the occasion carries huge importance beyond the dressing room, describing the visit of United as a landmark moment for Como and the city.
“It is a huge game against one of the greatest clubs in history,” Fabregas said. “You dream of matches like this, but we have to try to win and take the three points.”
The former Spain midfielder knows his side will face opponents with greater experience at the elite level, but insists that cannot become an excuse. Como must learn how to meet top-level teams while relying on their own strengths, he said.
Belief is Fabregas’s demand
Fabregas said mentality will be central if Como are to produce an upset. He wants his players to draw confidence from their collective resolve rather than be overwhelmed by the scale of the opposition.
“Our strength inside the group and our mentality have to make us strong enough to think we can do it,” he said.
Como’s coach also reflected on the influence of Arsene Wenger, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, having played under all three during his career. He said those experiences helped shape his own approach, including lessons taken from methods he did not wish to replicate.
Fabregas believes a coach must ultimately retain his own identity. His key question, he said, is not simply whether his side lose, but the manner in which they do so.
He added that he can accept defeat only if his team have played the way they intended, rather than abandoning their principles.
From youth football to Champions League
Fabregas credited his early work with Como’s youth side and the club’s Serie B team for preparing him for the demands of senior management. Those roles taught him to handle contrasting characters within a squad and make difficult decisions over selection.
He said the club gradually built a settled side capable of developing in Serie A, a division he described as highly competitive.
Como face a demanding route to the next stage, but Fabregas said his team are proud to be competing at this level. The next test comes on Wednesday, when United’s visit gives his players the chance to turn that belief into a defining result.
