What happened
Como 1907 host RB Leipzig at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Thursday 10 September at 21:00 Como time. UEFA lists the match as both clubs’ opening fixture in the 2026/27 Champions League league phase.
The Leipzig name is familiar, but the squad arriving in Como has changed. The club’s official summer transfer roundup confirms the return of Christopher Nkunku on loan from AC Milan, plus the arrivals of Rocco Reitz, Maxime Estève and Ørjan Nyland. It also records the departures of Yan Diomande, Péter Gulácsi, Xaver Schlager and Loïs Openda among others.
Leipzig’s current first-team page lists Antonio Nusa, Conrad Harder, Johan Bakayoko and Rômulo Cardoso among its forwards. That gives Como a useful warning before any lineup is announced: the opponent can change the profile of its attack without changing the broader problem of pace, movement and one-against-one quality around the box.
The Como view
The first job is to defend the spaces rather than chase the reputation of one player. Nkunku can make a back line uncomfortable by appearing between midfield and defence. Leipzig’s wide forwards can then attack the channel created when a Como defender steps toward the ball. If the distances between Como’s midfielders and centre-backs stretch, one pass can turn a controlled phase into an emergency.
Sempre Como Editorial Desk
That puts extra weight on the timing of Como’s full-backs. Yan Couto and Álex Valle helped give the team width at Genoa, but both cannot leave the defensive line exposed at the same moment. The safer pattern is for the far-side full-back to narrow while the attack develops on the opposite flank, leaving Como better placed if possession is lost.
Como should still be brave with the ball. Leipzig’s reshaped squad is a reason to test its connections, not an excuse to spend the night defending the penalty area. Nico Paz and Martin Baturina can make the visitors’ midfield turn toward its own goal; Assane Diao can then attack the space beyond. Keeping possession with purpose is also one of Como’s best forms of transition defence.
No starting lineup has been confirmed. The useful pre-match question is therefore structural: can Como keep enough players close to the ball to combine, while leaving enough protection behind it to survive Leipzig’s first forward pass?
Bottom line
Leipzig’s badge carries Champions League experience, but tomorrow’s opponent is a changed team with new relationships. Como’s opportunity is to make those relationships work under pressure; the danger is giving their forwards the open grass that removes the need for fluency.