Overview
After an impressive 11-match unbeaten streak in the early stages of the season, Como once had the right to dream of a Champions League ticket, or at least the first time participating in the European arena in club history.
However, the performance of the Lombardy team then became unstable. Lariani lost the home unbeaten record to AC Milan in the previous round, but the resounding victory at the Stadio Olimpico promptly ignited faith.
After the match, coach Cesc Fabregas faced no less criticism for his statements related to Milan, saying that Rossoneri was lucky in the victory over Como. However, the Spanish coach has reason to be satisfied when witnessing his team soon take the lead against Lazio, before young star Nico Paz completes a double to seal victory.
The two goals of the Argentine midfielder not only helped Fabregas defeat his former teacher Maurizio Sarri for the second time this season, but also extended Como's impressive streak of results.
Only 5 points behind Roma - the team currently ranked fourth - in the race to win tickets to the Champions League, Como continues to show outstanding progress after a season of relegation to Italy's highest league in 2024.
In particular, Giuseppe Sinigaglia home ground is becoming a solid support for Fabregas's army. Como has won 19 points out of a total of 30 maximum points here and aims to extend their home winning streak this weekend.
In the opposite direction, Torino entered the match with unpleasant memories. In the most recent encounter with Como, Granata suffered a heavy 1-5 defeat, a match that Nico Paz continued to score in the second leg in November last year.
That is also the beginning of Torino's 3-game losing streak in Serie A, and the maroon team is currently going through a similar difficult period before this rematch.
After defeats against Udinese and Atalanta, coach Marco Baroni's team once created a shock when defeating Roma in the 1/8 round of the Coppa Italia. However, that achievement was quickly overshadowed when the two teams rematched in the domestic league.
Just 5 days after the victory in the national cup, Torino collapsed with a score of 0-2 against Roma in Serie A. This is a match where they almost could not create any significant pressure on the opponent's goal.
Most of the reason comes from the insecure defense. Torino has currently lost 7 of their last 10 matches in Serie A and is only 3 points ahead of Genoa - ranked 16th - in the relegation race.
Personnel situation
Como's absence list continues to feature familiar names including Assane Diao, Edoardo Goldaniga, Alvaro Morata and Jayden Addai.
In the context that Morata has not been able to return, Martin Baturina was arranged to play as a virtual striker in the match against Lazio and has scored his fourth goal in the last three appearances. However, Tasos Douvikas is still the traditional center forward option that Fabregas can consider.
On the Torino side, Ivan Ilic continues to be absent due to injury. Gvidas Gineitis and Zakaria Aboukhlal both had thigh muscle problems in last week's match.
Defender Adam Masina is also likely to be sidelined after experiencing a harsh African Cup campaign with the Moroccan national team.
Expected lineup:
Butez, Smolcic, Ramon, Carlos, Valle, Perrone, Da Cunha, Vojvoda, Paz, Rodriguez, Baturina.
Paleari, Ismajli, Maripan, Coco, Pedersen, Casadei, Ilkhan, Vlasic, Lazaro, Adams, Zapata.
The match between Como and Torino takes place at 9:00 PM on January 24 (Vietnam time).
