Cesc Fabregas said it would have been "unthinkable" to imagine Manchester United coming to face Como in the Champions League when he first joined the club. 

The Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia is the venue for Wednesday's clash in what will be the first-ever meeting between the two sides, with both on three points heading into MD3. 

Como's first European campaign began with a thumping win over RB Leipzig, but they were on the end of a 3-2 defeat against Feyenoord last time out. 

United, meanwhile, were unable to build on their 4-0 victory over Sabah, going down 2-0 against Atletico Madrid as their underwhelming 2026-27 continued. 

Fabregas and Michael Carrick will face each other as opposition managers, 17 years after playing on opposing sides in both legs of the 2008-09 Champions League semi-finals between Arsenal and United (won 4-1 on aggregate by the Red Devils).

Como are looking to become the first Italian team since Lazio in 1999-00 to win their first two home games in the European Cup or Champions League, and Fabregas is relishing the occasion against the Premier League giants. 

"They are a great team. Just three years ago, when we were in Serie B, it would have been unthinkable that Manchester United might come to the Sinigaglia," Fabregas said.

"Yet, on Wednesday, that is exactly what will happen. For us, it's a dream come true; we'll take our chances."

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— Como1907 (@Como_1907) October 18, 2026

Since the start of last season, the six matches between Italian and English sides in the Champions League have been won by the Premier League outfit on five occasions (L1 – Atalanta 2-1 Chelsea the exception).

However, United come into the clash in a wretched run of form, having failed to win in their last six matches across all competitions (D4 L2). 

They have also won just one of their seven Premier League matches this season (D4 L2), their fewest number of victories at this stage of a league campaign since 1986-87. 

Como, on the other hand, are flying high in Serie A, sitting fifth, five points behind leaders Inter after Sunday's 3-1 victory over Fiorentina. 

They have equalled their record for points gained in their first seven Serie A matches of a season during the three-points-for-a-win era, matching the 14 they managed in 1950-51 (W4 D2 L1 in both cases).

"Getting ready for such wonderful games is fantastic, but we must never forget that Serie A is the most important thing for us," Fabregas added.

"For us, every day is an important step in our growth. We are a new club, not in terms of our history, but because we started from scratch three years ago.

"Consequently, we have to be careful in how we manage a great many situations."