From Leipzig to Parma
Thursday night was the sort of night Como supporters will probably talk about for decades. Champions League football arrived at the Sinigaglia for the first time, RB Leipzig came with it, and Como responded by winning 4–1.
Martin Baturina scored the club’s first Champions League goal. Tasos Douvikas scored. Assane Diao scored. Máximo Perrone finished it off. Como did not simply survive their European debut. They looked like they belonged there.
And now comes Parma. Which, strangely enough, might tell us just as much about this team. The glamorous matches bring their own energy. Parma on a Monday evening, four days later, is different. This is where good teams learn whether they can become serious ones.
The table is already making this interesting
Como begin Monday with seven points from three league games, having drawn at Udinese before winning away at Napoli and Genoa. That has put them directly inside the little group forming behind the early leaders.
The surrounding positions can shift across the weekend, but Como’s own equation is clear: a win would take them to 10 points from four matches before next weekend’s trip to Frosinone.
So Parma is not simply a game Como are expected to win. It is an opportunity. Win and Como reach 10 points from four matches, keeping them beside the early leaders before next weekend’s trip to Frosinone. More importantly, it would suggest that beating Napoli, demolishing Genoa and then putting four past Leipzig was more than a hot week.
Who might play
Cesc Fàbregas used plenty of his first-choice weapons against Leipzig and the turnaround is short. One plausible shape has Jean Butez in goal; Yan Couto, Jacobo Ramón, Trevoh Chalobah and Álex Valle across the back; Máximo Perrone and Lucas Da Cunha in midfield; then Assane Diao, Nico Paz and Martin Baturina behind the striker.
That last position is the real decision. Douvikas has already scored twice in Serie A and added another against Leipzig. Starting him again would reward the hot hand. Moise Kean entered the European match from the bench and should arrive with fresher legs. There is a reasonable football argument for both.
Current previews consistently list Jayden Addai among Como’s absentees. One live data source also flags a knee issue for Nico Paz, but other previews project him to start. Until there is firmer confirmation, Paz belongs in the selection question rather than the injury list.
Why Parma could make this uncomfortable
Parma entered the round with one point from three league matches and only one goal scored. The temptation is to expect another comfortable Como evening. Their likely defensive shape explains why it may not feel that way.
Parma can defend with three centre-backs and turn that into a five-man line without the ball: compact spaces, bodies around the box and fewer pockets for Paz and Baturina between midfield and defence. The easiest opponent for Como is not always the weakest one. Sometimes it is the one willing to play.
The latest lineup reporting lists Hans Nicolussi Caviglia as unavailable, Adrián Bernabé as doubtful and Ousmane Diallo as suspended. Bernabé matters in particular because he is normally one of Parma’s most creative midfield players. Any loss of midfield invention may give Parma even more reason to make the match slow, narrow and uncomfortable.
Watch Baturina — and the first 20 minutes
Baturina has scored twice in his first three Serie A appearances and then became the first Como player to score in the Champions League. Against Leipzig, his pass also created Douvikas’ goal. For all the attention naturally given to Nico Paz, Baturina is making the attacking midfield much harder to solve.
Stop Paz and Baturina can hurt you. Collapse centrally and Diao can attack from outside. Drop deeper and Como’s full-backs arrive. Last season, opponents occasionally seemed capable of slowing Como by solving one or two players. This team appears to have more answers.
The first 20 minutes may show whether those answers are available on Monday. European fatigue does not always look like players unable to run. It can be a press arriving half a second late, an extra touch in midfield or a team needing 15 minutes to enter the match emotionally. If Como start sharply and score early, Parma will have to leave their shell. If it stays 0–0, this could become a patient, physical 90-minute exercise.
The Como view
European football can change expectations remarkably quickly. A Champions League win over Leipzig suddenly makes Parma feel small by comparison. It is not. Strong league seasons are built as much on evenings like this as on the memorable victories.
Sempre Como Editorial Desk
Can Como produce Champions League concentration without Champions League theatre? Can they beat the opponent they are supposed to beat? Can they move from celebration back to work? Those questions are not especially romantic, but answering them may matter more than Thursday’s score if Como intend to remain near the top of the table.
Bottom line
Expect some rotation, though probably not wholesale change. The Douvikas–Kean decision is the one to watch, and Fàbregas may manage minutes carefully after Leipzig.
Parma’s absences and lack of goals give Como the advantage. The danger is the game becoming slow. If Como score early, the spaces should appear. If it remains level deep into the second half, it could become much less comfortable than the standings suggest.
Our prediction: Como 2–0 Parma. Not another European party. Just three extremely useful Serie A points.