On the shores of Lake Como, a demanding European night is waiting for Cesc Fàbregas’s side. Como 1907 have made a striking start to their Champions League campaign, but Feyenoord arrive from Rotterdam carrying the confidence of Eredivisie leaders and a season that has contained only one defeat.
Key takeaways
- Como opened their Champions League campaign with a convincing win over RB Leipzig.
- Feyenoord are top of the Eredivisie and remain unbeaten in domestic league football.
- The Dutch club’s sole loss this season came against Barcelona in the Champions League.
- Fàbregas is expected to rely on Jacobo Ramón, Álex Valle, Luis Milla and Assane Diao in his starting side.
- Feyenoord travel with eight players unavailable through injury.
A continental measure for Como
Como’s emphatic first-match victory over Leipzig offered an early indication of their ambition, even if the German side have been operating below expectations this season. The meeting with Feyenoord presents a different kind of examination: a club of a comparable European standing, but one arriving in particularly strong form.
Feyenoord have set the pace in the Netherlands, leading the Eredivisie without a league defeat. Barcelona are the only team to have beaten them in the current campaign, doing so in Europe while the Spanish champions continue their own formidable run.
For Como, this is another chance to judge themselves against the level of opposition they hope to overcome regularly in the near future. Fàbregas has increasingly given his team a Spanish character, with Jacobo Ramón, Álex Valle, Luis Milla and Assane Diao all becoming more influential figures.
Young talents and a depleted Rotterdam squad
European attention will again settle on Como’s two standout young attacking talents. Nico Paz, widely viewed in Argentina as a possible successor to Lionel Messi’s number 10 mantle, is expected to be central to the home side’s creative hopes. Martin Baturina, operating from a wider role, supplies another of Como’s most closely watched attacking options.
Feyenoord still bring significant quality despite their injury problems. Mika Mármol is set to feature at left-back, while Javi López provides an option on the wing. Yet the visitors’ resources have been heavily reduced, with as many as eight players currently in the treatment room.
