Cesc Fabregas Prepares Como for Historic First Champions League Match Against Leipzig

Cesc Fabregas and Como 1907 stand on the brink of history as the Italian club prepares to make its first-ever appearance in the UEFA Champions League on September 10, 2026, hosting RB Leipzig at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. The former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder has guided Como from Serie B to Europe’s elite competition in barely two and a half years, a rise that has captivated the football world and redefined what is possible for a small-city club with grand ambitions.

Como secured their Champions League berth by finishing fourth in Serie A in 2025-26 with 71 points, scoring 65 goals and conceding just 29 across 38 matches. It was a season that defied all expectations for a club that had only returned to Serie A in 2024 after years in the lower divisions. Now, with the opening matchday of the 2026-27 Champions League league phase just hours away, Fabregas and his players are ready to step into what the Spaniard has called “a new world.”

Fabregas Calls Champions League an ‘Unexpected Gift’

In a pre-season press conference on August 22, 2026, Fabregas set the tone for Como’s approach to European competition. “The Champions League is an unexpected gift for a side that was in Serie B until two years ago,” he told reporters, according to Yahoo Sports. He emphasized that Serie A and the Coppa Italia remain the club’s primary objectives, framing the Champions League campaign as a bonus rather than a burden.

Speaking to DAZN Italia on September 4, 2026, Fabregas reiterated: “We want to always try to win every game, but know that Serie A is the priority.” The message was clear: while the romance of European football is undeniable, the pragmatic Spaniard understands that sustaining Como’s top-flight status is the foundation upon which everything else is built.

Yet beneath that measured pragmatism lies a fierce competitive spirit. In an interview with TNT Sports in August, Fabregas acknowledged the emotional toll that awaits his young squad. “The challenge is that when, for example, you go to Parc des Princes or to the Bernabeu, and you play, emotionally for the young players, it drains,” he said. “You play against the big boys, you need to play like a big boy. We are very clear about how we want to play. If we lose, we lose. But we don’t change our model.”

From Serie B to Champions League: Como’s Extraordinary Rise

Como 1907, founded on May 25, 1907, in the lakeside city of Como in Lombardy, had never competed in any UEFA competition before the 2026-27 season. For most of their 119-year history, the club oscillated between Serie B, Serie C, and occasional stints in Serie A, with relegation and financial troubles a recurring theme. Notable former players include Italy internationals Gianluca Zambrotta and Stefano Fiore, as well as forward Marco Simone, but none of them played European football in a Como shirt.

The transformation began when Fabregas took over as head coach in 2022, backed by Indonesian investment group PT Djarum. At the time, Como were in Serie B, and the idea of Champions League football would have seemed absurd. Fabregas had just retired as a player at the age of 35 after a brief spell at the club, and his appointment as manager was widely viewed as a gamble on celebrity rather than coaching credentials.

That gamble has paid off spectacularly. Como earned promotion to Serie A and then, in their second season back in the top flight, finished fourth with 71 points — a record of 20 wins, 11 draws and seven defeats. On May 24, 2026, they officially clinched their Champions League spot, prompting an emotional speech from Fabregas to his squad on the pitch.

“It’s all thanks to every one of you,” Fabregas told his players, as reported by Fox Sports. “This would be probably the best group I will ever coach in my future. I have no doubt you will be remembered forever. Enjoy your holiday and have a grand celebration.”

The Matchday 1 Fixture: Como vs RB Leipzig

Como’s Champions League debut comes at home against RB Leipzig on Thursday, September 10, 2026, with kickoff scheduled for 19:00 local time at the Sinigaglia. The compact lakeside stadium, with its limited capacity, will provide an intimate and atmospheric setting for what promises to be the biggest night in the club’s history.

Leipzig, a regular in the Champions League knockout rounds in recent seasons and runners-up in the competition in 2024, represent a formidable first test. But Como arrive in strong form: a 2-1 victory at Napoli on August 31 — a result against a club that has won Serie A twice in the last four seasons — gave Fabregas’s side a significant confidence boost heading into European competition.

“We’re only in the second round,” Fabregas said after the Napoli win, according to the Associated Press. “And soon we’re going to be entering a new world.”

The full league phase schedule offers Como a demanding but thrilling campaign. After Leipzig at home, they face Manchester United in October, Paris Saint-Germain at home in January, and a blockbuster finale away to Barcelona — a fitting challenge for a manager who once wore the Blaugrana colors.

Como’s 2026-27 Champions League League Phase Schedule

Note: Only selected fixtures confirmed in reporting. Full schedule available via UEFA.

Fabregas: From World-Class Midfielder to Rising Manager

Fabregas’s transformation from one of football’s most decorated midfielders to one of its most promising young coaches is central to the Como story. Born on May 4, 1987, in Arenys de Mar, Spain, he left Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy at 16 to join Arsenal, where he would become the youngest scorer in the club’s history and eventually captain the side.

Over an eight-year spell at the Emirates Stadium, Fabregas made 303 appearances and scored 57 goals, establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s finest creative midfielders. He won the FA Cup in 2005 and reached the Champions League final in 2006, though a trophy-laden career at Arsenal largely eluded him.

A return to Barcelona in 2011 brought the silverware his talent deserved: La Liga in 2012-13, the Copa del Rey, two Supercopa de España titles, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup. He made 151 appearances and scored 43 goals for the Catalan giants across all competitions.

At Chelsea from 2014 to 2019, Fabregas won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup, and the Europa League, making 198 appearances and adding 22 goals. His career total across all clubs stands at 739 appearances, a testament to his longevity and consistency at the highest level.

For Spain, Fabregas earned 110 caps and scored 15 goals, playing a key role in the country’s golden era that saw them win Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup, and Euro 2012. He provided the assist for Andrés Iniesta‘s World Cup-winning goal against the Netherlands in Johannesburg.

The Coaching Philosophy Behind Como’s Success

Fabregas has spoken extensively about his coaching approach, which draws heavily on his experiences under Arsène Wenger at Arsenal, Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, and José Mourinho at Chelsea. He has described the Como job as attending “a football university every day,” a phrase he used upon clinching Champions League qualification on May 25, 2026.

“I have grown so much in this experience,” Fabregas said at the time. “It is my second year and a half as a coach, so thanks to the staff for the way they push and inspire.”

His philosophy centers on possession-based, attacking football — a style that mirrors his own playing identity. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport in August 2026, Fabregas reflected on the club’s trajectory: “It’s true Como spent money, but the growth of the club has been at a frankly unprecedented pace.” He also drew comparisons to how PSG and Manchester City built their projects over many years, noting that Como’s ascent has been compressed into a fraction of that time.

“I love developing players,” Fabregas told The Athletic in an exclusive interview in June 2026. “You tell me a part of my job that I love, it is spending time with the players, especially the younger ones and making them better or trying to make them better.” That development-first mentality has been crucial in building a squad capable of competing on multiple fronts without the mega-budget of a traditional European powerhouse.

Bouaddi Impresses as Man City Provide Early Champions League Benchmark

While Como prepare for their European debut, the broader Champions League landscape has already produced talking points in the opening week of the 2026-27 campaign. Manchester City, who completed the record-breaking signing of 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille on August 26 for a reported fee of €95 million plus €5 million in add-ons, saw their new midfielder impress on his first Champions League start for the club.

Bouaddi, who became the most expensive teenage signing in Premier League history, signed a five-year contract until 2031. The Morocco international was a standout performer at the 2026 World Cup and represents the caliber of opposition that Como will face as they navigate unfamiliar European waters. City’s summer spending, which reached nearly £200 million after also signing Elliot Anderson, underscores the financial gulf between the established Champions League heavyweights and newcomers like Fabregas’s side.

That gulf is precisely what makes Como’s presence in the competition so compelling. As Fabregas acknowledged, 85 percent of his squad — and indeed the club itself — has never experienced anything like the Champions League. The emotional and physical demands of competing midweek against Europe’s elite while maintaining a strong Serie A campaign will test every element of Como’s squad depth and mental resilience.

Fabregas’s Playing Career: A Trophy-Laden Journey

What This Means for Italian Football and the Champions League

Como’s participation in the Champions League is significant beyond the club’s own story. Italy has four representatives in the 2026-27 league phase, and Como’s presence alongside Inter Milan, Napoli, and Juventus speaks to the growing depth and competitiveness of Serie A. A club from a city of approximately 85,000 residents competing on the same stage as the continent’s wealthiest organizations is the kind of sporting narrative that transcends tribal loyalties.

For Fabregas personally, the Champions League campaign is a chance to demonstrate his coaching credentials on the biggest stage — the same stage where he made 104 appearances as a player across three clubs. If Como can navigate the league phase with credibility, regardless of whether they advance to the knockout rounds, it would cement Fabregas’s reputation as one of European football’s most exciting young managers and inevitably attract attention from bigger clubs.

But Fabregas has already addressed that possibility. After sealing Champions League qualification on May 25, he told Sky Sport that he had held a “long meeting at 2pm with the president and the director” about his future and indicated his commitment to the project. “The growth of this club has been too fast; since we started it, it has been two and a half years that we have been pushing expectations,” he said.

What to Watch on Matchday 1

When Como and RB Leipzig kick off on Thursday evening at the Sinigaglia, the occasion itself will be the primary storyline. For a club that was playing in Serie B just over two years ago, the mere fact of hosting a Champions League match is an achievement that Fabregas and his staff have earned through bold tactical choices, shrewd player development, and an unwavering commitment to an attacking identity.

The result, of course, matters — and Como’s recent 2-1 victory at Napoli suggests they are capable of producing results against high-caliber opposition. But regardless of what the scoreboard reads at the final whistle, the story of September 10, 2026, will be written in the stands of a small Italian stadium by a lakeside city that dared to dream beyond its weight class, led by a man who learned his football at the feet of Wenger, Guardiola, and Mourinho, and is now writing his own chapter.

“I have no doubt you will be remembered forever,” Fabregas told his players in May. On Thursday, they get the chance to prove him right.

Sources

• finishing fourth in Serie A in 2025-26 with 71 points — apnews.com
• Fabregas: ‘Champions League an unexpected gift, Liberali … — sports.yahoo.com
• record-breaking signing of 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille on August 26 — reuters.com
• Champions League Matchday 1: Como vs Leipzig facts – UEFA.com — uefa.com
• Como vs Leipzig | Squad lists — uefa.com

Photo: Web Summit, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons