Como v Man Utd preview: kick-off time, team news and form
Manchester United head to Italy on Wednesday 21st October 2026 to face Como in the Champions League League Phase, with kick-off at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia set for 5.45pm UK time.
Both sides arrive with three points from two games in the competition, but the context is very different. Como sit 17th in the standings having beaten a side before losing to Feyenoord in their last European outing, while United are also mid-table in the League Phase after picking up a point and a defeat, that loss coming away at Atletico Madrid. In the Premier League, United currently sit 13th, a reminder of how inconsistent their domestic campaign has been.
Form lines make interesting reading. Como's recent sequence reads WLDLW in all competitions, including a win over Fiorentina in their last outing despite losing that game 3-1 on the scoreline shown in their Serie A form. United, by contrast, go into the match on the back of DLDDL, having drawn with both Tottenham and Leeds and lost away to Atletico Madrid in their last Champions League fixture. BBC Sport reports that head coach Michael Carrick says he needs more clean sheets if United are to turn their season around (BBC Sport).
It's a daunting away day for a United side short on defensive options. Manchester Evening News describes a "defensive crisis" worsening ahead of the trip (Manchester Evening News), while TeamTalk reports that Carrick has ruled out five players from the squad that travelled, naming Lisandro Martinez, Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw, Ayden Heaven and Marcus Rashford as absentees from final training (TeamTalk). The Evening Standard also lists Shaw, Mainoo and Heaven as missing in United's last league outing, with Rashford having been dropped to the bench in recent matches (Evening Standard). Manchester Evening News goes further, suggesting as many as nine (Manchester Evening News) and even nineteen players in total could be unavailable for the Como match across the squad (Manchester Evening News), while another report runs through return dates for Rashford, Mainoo and Shaw (Manchester Evening News).
Amid the selection issues, Manchester Evening News suggests captain Bruno Fernandes faces a big night to prove his form (Manchester Evening News), and that Carrick may even have to consider benching a player previously seen as undroppable (Manchester Evening News). United's writers have also been debating their preferred starting XI for the trip (Manchester Evening News), with a predicted lineup piece flagging a "major headache" for the head coach (Manchester Evening News).
On the other side, Sky Sports and BBC Sport both preview Como's remarkable rise under Cesc Fabregas, who takes charge of a side being described as ready for "a historic" night against United (Sky Sports) (BBC Sport). Manchester Evening News reports Fabregas has leapt to Carrick's defence ahead of the game, with two former Premier League midfielders going head-to-head in the dugout (Manchester Evening News). There's also a weather concern, with Manchester Evening News reporting that the fixture faces a possible threat from wet conditions in Como this evening (Manchester Evening News).
You can follow all the action from the Giuseppe Sinigaglia when Como host Manchester United in the Champions League, with kick-off at 5.45pm UK time on Wednesday 21st October.
Written with the help of AI, using the match facts and the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
