Overview
Como not only participated in the Champions League for the first time but also made their debut in a UEFA club-level tournament. The Lombardy team won fourth place in Serie A last season, the best achievement in history, after winning 4 out of 5 final rounds to surpass both AC Milan and Juventus.
This achievement is even more impressive when Como just returned to Serie A 2 years ago and played in Serie D in 2019. Under Cesc Fabregas, they also reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia for the first time, before stopping before Inter Milan after a second-leg defeat at San Siro.
Large investments are helping Como quickly rise. Only Inter has more points than them this year, while Como has also impressed with away wins against Napoli and Genoa.
Since 2024, Como is the team that spends the most in Serie A and has formed a strong attacking squad. Nico Paz is an important source of creativity, while Tasos Douvikas leads the scoring list. Defense ability is also a strength as Como kept a clean sheet in 19 matches in Serie A last season, the most in the league.
Fabregas made 104 appearances in the Champions League when he was still playing and will now lead Como in the first time the club has participated in this playground. The goal of the Italian representative is to compete with new opponents such as Sabah, LASK and Viking.
While Como is a newcomer, this is RB Leipzig's eighth Champions League season since their first appearance in the group stage 9 years ago.
However, the last time participating in the tournament became a forgettable memory. Leipzig is ranked 32nd in the League Phase season 2024-2025 after only winning 1 and losing 7 matches. The German team reached the semi-finals in 2020 and returned to the Champions League this season after finishing third in the Bundesliga last season.
Ole Werner no longer holds the head coach position, and Martin Demichelis was appointed to replace him. This is the first time Demichelis has led a team in the Champions League, although he has made 67 appearances in the tournament as a player for Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Malaga.
Leipzig started the season with victories against Eintracht Trier at the DFB-Pokal and Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga, but then lost to Werder Bremen 1-3 last weekend.
Away record in the Champions League also makes Leipzig worried. They have only won 1 point in the last 6 away games in the tournament, before traveling to Como stadium in this match.
Personnel situation
Como only lacked Jayden Addai due to a long-term injury, thereby Fabregas almost had full force for this match. Due to the stadium having to be upgraded to meet UEFA regulations, Como played 3 away games at the beginning of the season.
On Leipzig's side, Rocco Reitz, Romulo and Christoph Baumgartner will be absent. Baumgartner once had the most effective season of his career when scoring 17 goals in all competitions last season.
Expected lineup:
Butez, Couto, Chalobah, Ramon, Valle, Perrone, Da Cunha, Diao, Paz, Baturina, Douvikas.
RB Leipzig: Vandevoordt, Baku, Orban, Lukeba, Raum, El Aynaoui, Seiwald, Banzuzi, Bakayoko, Nkunku, Nusa.
The match between Como and RB Leipzig takes place at 2:00 AM on September 11 (Vietnam time).
