Fabregas and Como prepare to host Manchester United in Champions League tie
Como and Manchester United are preparing to meet at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia in the Champions League, in a report published on 2026-10-21. Manchester United travel to Italy on the back of six games without a win, their worst run since 2018-19.
Como's rise from the semi-professional ranks to Europe's premier club competition has been rapid: the club were in Serie D — one of nine semi-professional regional leagues — when Manchester United won the Champions League in 2008, and they returned to Serie D in 2017 after failing to convince the authorities of their financial wellbeing. The London-based media company Sent Entertainment, owned by Indonesian billionaires Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono, agreed a deal in 2019 after being attracted by Como's amateur status; the Hartono brothers had been planning a TV project to screen matches involving young Indonesian players. "Somehow the team got promoted, we had to go professional, and the plan had to be scrapped," chief executive Mirwan Surwaso told Piers Morgan's Football Uncensored Podcast.
The Giuseppe Sinigaglia sits beside Lake Como, which the article describes as 29 miles long and 2.5 miles wide in some parts, with a yacht club and an Aero Club hosting sea-planes. Como use the lakeside setting commercially, offering one-hour Lake Como tours followed by "pre-match Lakeside hospitality", and the club has opened a new shop selling branded merchandise. The stadium holds 12,300 and the piece notes that three quarters of that capacity is uncovered.
On the pitch, Cesc Fabregas has overseen a swift ascent: in the space of five seasons from Fabregas' arrival as a player, Como had gone from Serie B to the Champions League, and Fabregas guided the team to fourth place in 2025-26, "capitalising on AC Milan's shock defeat at Cagliari". Fabregas reflected on the transformation: "Compared to when I finished my career here, it is completely different," and added, "It is not even night and day. It is another world. "Playing Manchester United is a historic day once again for the club, the city of Como and fanbase. "When I retired as a player, I coached to get experience. I explained what I thought of the club and my vision and put the plan to work. We are a family here. Even when we lose, fans come and celebrate. We need to be humble and remember who we were because the story of Como will be beautiful, and we will remember it forever."
The article also records Fabregas urging focus rather than nostalgia: "We were at minus 10 when we started, but we don't want to spend time thinking about what has passed," and, "If you want to do that, retire and go write a book about what Como did. We must look at what is in front of us." Former France internationals Raphael Varane and Thierry Henry are identified as investors in Como, and earlier this week Lionel Messi's son Ciro was pictured with his dad wearing a replica Como kit.
Surwaso acknowledged external scrutiny over Como's finances but said UEFA's rules stand and the club is confident: "The scrutiny is on us but we always have our books in order, so we are not too worried." The coverage also flagged a potential matchday issue if heavy rain arrives at kick-off, given the large uncovered portion of the stadium.
Local supporters who stayed with the club through lower-league years are prominent voices in the report. Marco Melillo recalled family influence and a personal attachment to the club's colours and setting: "I had an uncle who supported Como," he said. "He showed me the sticker collection, I saw the blue shirt and the blue colours and totally went crazy about it. ... When I came here and saw the lake, it was 'wow'." Federico Borghi, who brought a Como 1907-2007 history book to the stadium despite the weather, said: "In 2008, I had just started to go to the stadium to attend games," and, "Not even in our best dreams could we think of playing Manchester United. I get chills even thinking about it. ... As soon as I entered the stadium for the first time I realised this was going to be my faith. I was there in the bad times and that has strengthened my faith and my relationship with the club. "The Premier League is my inspiration and to face one of the top three or four biggest clubs in the world, it's a big honour."
Como's Champions League assignment is to host Manchester United at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, the match identified in the report as a historic fixture for the club and city; that tie will be played in the competition referenced throughout the article.
