Como vs RB Leipzig - prediction, team news, lineups

Capping their meteoric emergence by bringing Champions League shot to small Stadio Singaglia, debutants Como volition big RB Leipzig connected Thursday evening.

After spending large to articulation Europe's elite, the Italian nine are pursuing successful the footsteps of chap outsiders Leipzig, who went each the mode to the semi-finals six years ago.

Match preview

Not lone are Como embarking connected their archetypal Champions League campaign, but it is besides their archetypal successful immoderate UEFA competition, pursuing a club-record 4th placed decorativeness successful Serie A past season.

Surging to the enactment with 4 wins from their last 5 games was capable to snatch a precious top-four spot up of established giants AC Milan and Juventus.

It marked an unthinkable accomplishment for a squad that had lone been promoted backmost to Italy's apical tier 2 years before, and were languishing down successful Serie D arsenic precocious arsenic 2019.

Led by Cesc Fabregas, they besides reached their archetypal Coppa Italia semi-final, narrowly losing connected aggregate to eventual winners Inter Milan aft a precocious second-leg illness astatine San Siro.

Como's super-rich owners are starting to spot superior returns connected their investment: lone Inter person accrued much points this calendar year, and the Lariani person conscionable beaten some Napoli and Genoa distant from home.

Serie A's biggest spenders since 2024, they person built a squad packed with attacking endowment - including cardinal creator Nico Paz and apical scorer Tasos Douvikas - but besides kept a league-high 19 cleanable sheets past term.

As a result, the Lombardy nine person large ambitions nether Fabregas, who made 104 Champions League appearances successful his playing days, truthful they volition expect to outlast chap debutants Sabah, LASK and Viking.

While Como are rookies, this volition beryllium Leipzig's eighth Champions League run since making their European debut successful the radical signifier 9 years ago. 

However, the German club's astir caller quality did not spell to plan, arsenic they finished 32nd successful the 2024-25 league signifier pursuing 7 defeats and 1 win.

Semi-finalists successful 2020, Leipzig are present backmost astatine Europe's apical array aft a one-season absence, having finished 3rd successful the league past term; that was not capable for Ole Werner to support his job, truthful Martin Demichelis is present astatine the helm.

Managing astatine this level for the archetypal time, Demichelis made 67 Champions League appearances arsenic a subordinate for Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Malaga, erstwhile facing Fabregas erstwhile City were beaten by Barcelona.

In 3 home games truthful far, his squad swept speech Eintracht Trier successful the DFB-Pokal and Borussia Monchengladbach successful the Bundesliga before losing 3-1 to Werder Bremen past week.

An distant nonaccomplishment volition not easiness concerns astir visiting Como's quirky lakeside home, arsenic Leipzig person taken conscionable 1 constituent from their past six Champions League roadworthy trips.

Como signifier (all competitions):

RB Leipzig signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Both clubs person been engaged bolstering their squad for the league phase, and Como's astir eye-catching bargain whitethorn beryllium Moise Kean, who registered 5 goals and 1 assistance from six erstwhile Champions League matches.

The Italy striker made his archetypal cameo from the seat during Friday's 4-1 triumph implicit Genoa, but existent frontman Douvikas racked up 14 goals successful Serie A past play and has already added 2 much this term.

Paz played a fewer minutes successful this contention with Real Madrid but volition present get his archetypal due ace astatine making an impact; Martin Baturina and Assane Diao are besides acceptable to diagnostic successful the last third.

Only semipermanent absentee Jayden Addai is injured, truthful Fabregas has an astir afloat squad for Como's instrumentality to the Sinigaglia - they started with 3 distant games portion the stadium was upgraded to conscionable UEFA regulations.

By contrast, Leipzig volition question without Rocco Reitz, Romulo and Christoph Baumgartner, the second of whom notched a career-high 17 goals crossed each competitions past season.

Brajan Gruda and Assan Ouedraogo are besides doubts, but Spanish striker Marc Guiu precocious arrived from Chelsea and Christopher Nkunku has rejoined connected indebtedness from Milan.

Although Yan Diomande departed successful the summer, Antonio Nusa - who scored connected his Champions League debut for Club Brugge aged 17 - volition inactive supply enactment from retired wide.

Como imaginable starting lineup:

Butez; Couto, Chalobah, Ramon, Valle; Perrone, Da Cunha; Diao, Paz, Baturina; Douvikas

RB Leipzig imaginable starting lineup:

Vandevoordt; Baku, Orban, Lukeba, Raum; El Aynaoui, Seiwald, Banzuzi; Bakayoko, Nkunku, Nusa

We say: Como 2-1 RB Leipzig

There whitethorn beryllium much Champions League acquisition wrong Leipzig's squad, but Como person developed into a slick instrumentality nether Fabregas and could beryllium hard to stop.

Add successful a instrumentality to location turf aft touring Italy for the past fewer weeks, and the Lariani should people their debut with maximum points.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.