No one outside of that locker room could have written this script. Como 1907 sit fourth in Serie A with eight matches remaining — in the driver's seat for Champions League football. Not in contention. Not in the conversation. In the driver's seat.
The schedule ahead is not soft. Inter and Napoli both still to come, both at home. But the story of this season hasn't been what Como do against the giants. The story has been what they do to everyone else — and that's where they've genuinely separated themselves from the pack.
Derisking the Table
Look at the goal difference. Como sit at +31. Juventus, fighting for the same European places, are at +23. Roma, who many tipped as the fourth-place favourite before Christmas, are at +14.
That gap isn't an accident. It's a philosophy made visible.
The average Serie A club — Inter and Juventus aside — is built on defensive structure. Compact blocks, low lines, waiting for the moment. It produces tight games. Low-scoring affairs. And in tight, low-scoring games, risk is everywhere. One bounce goes the wrong way and you've dropped two points you should have had. Do that three times and your European campaign is gone.
Como have opted out of that risk entirely. Under Fàbregas, this team plays vertical tiki-taka — possession-based, but pointed. They don't recycle for its own sake; they press high, win the ball in dangerous areas, and attack with pace and purpose. Their pressing intensity places them among the top five in all of European football — and it creates a fundamentally different kind of game. When Como are at their best, they don't just win — they make the match uncomfortable for the opponent from the first whistle.
That's the edge against mid-table. When you have the clear talent advantage, you don't wait to see how the game develops. You want it settled in the first 45. It hasn't always been clean — there have been matches this season where the chances piled up and the finishing was loose. But the sheer volume of opportunities has been the insurance policy. You can afford to miss a few when you're creating eight. The +31 is the proof of concept.
What Udinese Will Try to Do
Respect is due here. Udinese have beaten Inter, Atalanta, Napoli, and Roma this season. They are not a passive side. Kosta Runjaic has built something physical and organised, and he was refreshingly honest at his pre-match press conference.
"Como are no surprise package. They're the form team and we know what to expect. They all know how to play and they don't alter their style to suit their opponents."
— Kosta Runjaic, Udinese Head CoachThat's the acknowledgement of a coach who has studied the problem. His solution: "Be compact, keep our shape. Play with intensity, courage and tactical nous." In other words — try to make it a dogfight.
And Udinese can make it a dogfight. The defensive trio of Kristensen, Kabasele, and Solet are dominant aerially and comfortable building out under pressure. Wing-backs Ehizibue and Kamara have the pace to hurt teams on the counter. Nicolò Zaniolo remains capable of a moment of quality at any point. Ekkelenkamp — four Serie A goals, effective drifting from wide into a 10 role — adds a genuine second threat. The likely shift from their 3-5-2 to a 3-4-1-1 without Davis keeps the structure compact while giving Atta the freedom to link play behind Zaniolo.
The Missing Junkyard Dog
The unavoidable headline: Keinan Davis is suspended. Ten league goals, Udinese's top scorer — absent tomorrow. Runjaic was candid about what that means.
"Davis is not easy to replace. We don't have another player like him in the squad."
— Kosta RunjaicThat admission is significant. Davis is the physicality in Udinese's attack, the player who wins the battles that set up the moments. Without him, their press resistance drops, their aerial threat up front drops, and the creative burden falls entirely on Zaniolo. Also absent: Buksa, Zemura, and Zanoli through injury. Como do not need a gilded invitation. But this is about as close to one as the fixture calendar offers.
Eight Games Left
Win tomorrow and Como stay in the chair. The remaining schedule — two marquee home fixtures, seven against teams who will be defending for their lives — favours a side that goes after games rather than waits for them.
Wednesday nights in the Champions League next autumn. It looked improbable in August. It looks earned today.
First things first. 12:30 in Udine. Get the three points.
Como's away form, superior firepower, and Udinese's depleted attack all point in one direction. Fabregas' side to settle it before the hour.