Cesc Fabregas says it would have been “unthinkable” when he joined Como to imagine Manchester United travelling to the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia for a Champions League match.
The clubs will meet for the first time on Wednesday, with both sides having collected three points from their opening two games of the competition.
Como began their first European campaign with a convincing victory over RB Leipzig but suffered a 3-2 defeat by Feyenoord in their most recent match. Manchester United followed a 4-0 win against Sabah by losing 2-0 to Atletico Madrid, extending an indifferent 2026-27 season.
The fixture will also see Fabregas and United manager Michael Carrick meet as opposing managers, 17 years after they played against each other in both legs of the 2008-09 Champions League semi-final. Manchester United won that tie 4-1 on aggregate against Arsenal.
Como are aiming to become the first Italian side since Lazio in 1999-00 to win their opening two home matches in the European Cup or Champions League.
“They are a great team. Just three years ago, when we were in Serie B, it would have been unthinkable that Manchester United might come to the Sinigaglia,” Fabregas said.
“Yet, on Wednesday, that is exactly what will happen. For us, it’s a dream come true; we’ll take our chances.”
Despite United’s recent difficulties, English clubs have dominated their meetings with Italian opponents in the Champions League since the start of last season. Premier League teams have won five of the six matches, with Atalanta’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea the only exception.
United have not won any of their past six matches in all competitions, drawing four and losing two. They have also recorded just one victory from their seven Premier League matches this season, alongside four draws and two defeats.
That is their lowest number of wins at this point in a league campaign since 1986-87.
Como, by contrast, are fifth in Serie A and sit five points behind leaders Inter after Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Fiorentina.
That result took them to 14 points from their first seven Serie A matches, matching their best total in the three-points-for-a-win era. They also collected 14 points at the same stage in 1950-51, when their record was four wins, two draws and one defeat.
“Getting ready for such wonderful games is fantastic, but we must never forget that Serie A is the most important thing for us,” Fabregas added.
“For us, every day is an important step in our growth. We are a new club, not in terms of our history, but because we started from scratch three years ago.
“Consequently, we have to be careful in how we manage a great many situations.”
