Serie A Football Club

Following their victory in Verona, which secured qualification for European competition, Como are set to play their final home match of the season in front of their fans. The Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium opens its gates for the penultimate matchday of the 2025/26 Enilive Serie A season, as Parma come to town. The team led by Carlos Cuesta has certainly emerged as one of this season’s surprise packages, thanks to an organised, pragmatic style of play that gives plenty of freedom to the individual talents in the squad. Sunday’s match, kicking off at 12:00 p.m., will be anything but easy, as the Emilian side once again demonstrated last weekend against Roma just how effectively they can execute their game plan. Throughout the season, Parma have shown they can trouble any opponent thanks to their physicality, threat from set pieces, and ability to disrupt passing lanes. The match at Sinigaglia promises to be an intriguing clash between two teams with distinct identities, following the 0–0 draw in the reverse fixture.

Here are the words of Como 1907 Head Coach Cesc Fàbregas ahead of Como-Parma:

“Without a doubt, tomorrow’s match is the most important game for us. It’s the match of the season, a really crucial fixture. I hope everyone, from the players to the supporters, is fully fired up. I’d love to see an incredible atmosphere at the stadium.

“Together, we’ll always have a better chance of achieving our goal. There’s hunger, there’s desire, because we’re facing an incredible opportunity and we have nothing to lose. We’ve been given a huge chance, and we need to enjoy it. I hope the players go out there with freedom, express themselves the way they have throughout the season, and fully embrace this experience, especially as, for many of them, it’s their first time.

“We know that Parma are capable of pressing high up the pitch, but they’re also very well organised in a mid-to-low block. They defend the box well, stay compact, and have players capable of playing very good football. I’m expecting a tough match against a quality opponent who may have been slightly underestimated.”

Parma

Despite the return of former Parma player Gabriel Strefezza, who also scored in the last match against Roma, Parma will still have to cope with some key absences, including Bernabè, Ondreijka, and Oristanio, as well as the suspended Britschgi. Carlos Cuesta’s side will most likely line up in their usual 3-5-2 formation, which quickly shifts into a 5-3-2 during defensive phases without possession, favouring a deep block in front of the back line.

The Emilian side’s defensive unit has certainly stood out this season, boasting a rock-solid, physical back line that excels in man-marking. The back four of Del Prato, Circati, Troilo, and Valenti consists of players all over 185 centimetres tall, significantly enhancing their aerial dominance. With Bernabè out due to injury, the contributions of Nicolussi Caviglia and Mandela Keita will be increasingly crucial: the former, with his technical quality, has established himself as the team’s playmaker, also threading through balls for the forwards; Keita, meanwhile, is having an excellent season as a box-to-box midfielder, a hard-working and dynamic player who scored his first Serie A goal of the season against Roma.

Up front, the pairs deployed by Coach Cuesta are always well balanced; lately, the Strefezza-Elphege duo has been featured, with the former now a nailed-on starter and the latter competing with Pellegrino for the role of the main reference point in attack. The Brazilian winger, who is also very effective as a second striker, offers the ability to beat defenders one-on-one and shoot from distance, while Elphege and Pellegrino are physical forwards strong in the air, very skilled at holding up the ball and in aerial play.

Previous encounters

At the Sinigaglia, Como and Parma have faced off 25 times: the record stands at 11 wins for the BiancoBlu, eight draws, and six wins for the visitors.

The Lariani’s last home win against the Emiliani dates back to the 2022–23 Serie B season, when goals from Cerri and Arrigoni sealed a 2–0 victory.

Squad:
1 BUTEZ Jean
2 KEMPF Marc
5 GOLDANIGA Edoardo
6 CAQUERET Maxence
7 MORATA Alvaro
8 ROBERTO Sergi
11 DOUVIKAS Tasos
14 RAMON Jacobo
15 LAHDO Adrian
17 RODRIGUEZ Jesus
18 MORENO Alberto
19 KUHN Nicolas
20 BATURINA Martin
21 TORNQVIST Noel
22 VIGORITO Mauro
23 PERRONE Maximo
28 SMOLCIC Ivan
31 VOJVODA Mërgim
33 DA CUNHA Lucas
34 DIEGO CARLOS
38 DIAO Assane
44 CAVLINA Nikola
49 CASSANO Riccardo
77 VAN DER BREMPT Ignace

Match details

Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
Kick-off: 12:00 CEST
Stadium: Giuseppe Sinigaglia
Referee: Zufferli
Assistants: Rossi-Laudato

Where to watch

Italy: SkySport - DAZN
Balkans: Arena Sport
USA: CBS - DAZN - FOX
South America: ESPN & Disney +
South Korea: SPOTV
Rest of the world: Check local listings.

Carlo Tassone, 25, manager of Machete Capelli & Barba on Via Olginati in Como, is one of the faces of the Retro Collection, the line that honours the legacy of Como 1907 through timeless design and the iconic crest. “Seeing my photo wearing the collection’s sweatshirt on the cover of BLU and on billboards across the city was an incredible experience, not only for me, but also for my family and friends. My dad, a lifelong fan of Como 1907, who has always held a season ticket in the Curva, couldn’t believe it.”

For Carlo, wearing the collection’s pieces was a wonderful experience: “The Retro Collection is truly stunning. My favourite items are the classic sweatshirts, both the blue and the white ones, the longsleeved polo, and especially the white shortsleeved polo, which is absolutely magnificent. The quality of the collection is outstanding, and young people really appreciate it. Many of my friends have already bought some of the items and are very happy with them,” he explains.

A special moment for Carlo was seeing his face on a Via Napoleona billboard, the road linking Como’s centre to Camerlata, the neighbourhood where he grew up. “It was amazing to see my photo in the collection’s sweatshirt right there,” he recalls. For him, it is a symbolic place that links his place of origin to where he is now, at a barber shop he considers truly unique, in the city centre.

After his studies and a few years of work experience around the province of Como, Carlo joined Machete Capelli & Barba with great enthusiasm: “We opened our barber shop in Como at the beginning of 2024, and I joined shortly after. Our company is from Rome, with many shops there. When the company decided to expand to other places, Como was the one they decided to start from. The beauty and strong appeal of Como were definitely the main reasons for investing here.”

Machete Capelli & Barba’s clients include people of all ages and, as Carlo explains, while at first the clientele was mostly adults, now many young people rely on him and his colleague Luca for a fresh, fashionable haircut. “Our shop has become a meeting place for many young people who come not only to get a haircut, but also to chat over a coffee in a very friendly atmosphere, receiving personalised advice from us.”

Alongside locals, many tourists also stop by for a haircut: “Some are on vacation, and others have moved to Como from abroad. We speak many languages in the shop, and we are always happy to welcome a diverse clientele.”

Despite his young age, Carlo has clear ideas about how to start and run a business, especially in Como: “Como is a city, but it is also a community. Therefore, if you want to do business here, it is important to win the hearts of the people of Como. I really like seeing local businesses grow and invest in the city.”

Carlo’s ambition is to continue growing in his profession: “One of the most interesting aspects of our company is the ongoing training, which is essential to keep improving and stay up to date with market trends. In Como, we will definitely expand the shop because demand keeps increasing.”

With busy workdays even on weekends, it is hard for Carlo to find time to go to the stadium: “My dad is a huge fan and always goes to the stadium, even for away games. I go when I can. I have followed Como 1907 since I was a little kid, and I am thrilled with the team’s progress and with this Club. My favourite players are Nico Paz and Assane Diao, and I am a big fan of coach CescFàbregas’s style of play. It is great to see so many young players on the team and such an ambitious project.”

Alongside his passion for Como 1907, music also plays an important role in Carlo’s life: “I have been making rap music for many years, I really believe in what I do, and being a testimonial for the Retro Collection was important for growing my following in the music world as well. Many people recognised me and stopped me in the street. It was truly exciting.”

To write his songs, Carlo often went to the lakeside near the hangar, right behind the StadioSinigaglia: “It is an area I really love, a place I have always spent time in with my friends. When I was little, I loved walking along Viale Geno.” Among his favourite places to spend an evening in the city, Carlo recommends the Super Social Club, near the Teatro Sociale, and Est Est Est on Via Tommaso Grossi. For lunch or dinner, he recommends La Latteria, right next to his barber shop.

In a recent filmed interview, Martin Baturina comes across much as he plays. Calm, clear and completely at ease.

That is what gives shape to the story of his first season at Como so far. Not just the numbers or the reputation he arrived with, but the feeling of a player who has settled naturally into a new club, a new country and a new level without appearing overawed by any of it. He speaks with the same composure he brings to the pitch. There is no rush in him, no sense of someone trying too hard to say the right thing. Instead, there is clarity.

“The first visit was very nice. I saw Lake Como, beautiful city, beautiful lake. First training session was very good. The players are very friendly, the coach is ambitious, and the whole team is ambitious. I’m just happy to be here.”

It is an answer that does a lot of work. Baturina does not frame the move in dramatic terms. He speaks simply about what he found, and what stood out to him was the environment and the ambition around it.

In the interview, he is equally straightforward about why Como appealed in the first place.

“When I heard they were interested in me, I was happy. The coach called, showed me the plans for the future, and I really liked them.”

That sense of purpose is important. Baturina did not arrive as a young player hoping to find his way. He arrived with a serious football education already behind him, and with the sense that this was the right next step. What Como have seen so far is a player who looks comfortable with that decision.

His first season has already shown the qualities that made him such an exciting arrival. There is intelligence in the way he plays, but also calmness. He sees space early, keeps the ball moving, and gives the impression of someone who understands how to influence a match without forcing it. He is creative, but controlled. Stylish, but disciplined. Those are not always easy qualities to carry into a first season in Serie A, especially at a club with attention and ambition around it, but Baturina has done so with real assurance.

The interview makes another thing clear too. He is comfortable with expectation, but not consumed by it. When the comparison to Luka Modrić comes up, he handles it with maturity.

“I don’t think there will ever be another Modrić. We have different styles. But I probably share some qualities with him, that’s why people make the comparison.”

It is a good answer because it feels balanced. He does not reject the compliment, but he does not try to live inside it either. He acknowledges the comparison, then quietly steps back into his own space. That feels true to the wider impression he gives. There is confidence there, but it is measured.

The same is true when he talks about what drives him.

“Personally, I want to win games and become a better player, a better version of myself. As a team, we’re very ambitious. We want to win as many games as we can and see where that takes us.”

That line gives the piece its forward motion. Baturina speaks like a player focused less on image than on progress. In his first season at Como, that attitude has suited both him and the club. He has arrived at a place with a clear idea of where it wants to go, and he sounds entirely comfortable inside that ambition.

What also comes across in the filmed interview is that he is easy to warm to. He is relaxed, thoughtful and quietly funny in places, with none of the stiffness that can flatten these moments. That has helped make his first season feel broader than a football story alone. There is already a sense of personality around him, and that has extended naturally into culture too.

A good example was the collaboration with British artist RJ Customs, who hand painted a bespoke shirt inspired by Baturina’s EA Sports FUT Fantasy card. It was a smart crossover, linking football, gaming and visual culture through a player whose appeal already feels bigger than the pitch alone. The piece gained traction internationally and was even featured on Croatian national television, adding another layer to the way Baturina’s first season has been seen beyond Como.

Still, the strongest part of the story is the simplest one. In his first season at Como, Baturina has already looked at home.

That matters. First seasons can often feel like long introductions. This one has not. Instead, it has felt like the early stage of something more meaningful. The filmed interview captures that well. Not a player trying to convince anyone, but one who already seems sure of where he is and why he is here.

That is what makes his first season so encouraging. He has brought quality, calm and character, and he has done it in a way that suggests this is only the beginning.

Como, Italy – 14th May 2026 Como 1907 today announced the return of Football On The Lake, the summer festival that brings football, music, food, culture and supporters together on the shores of Lake Como.

Following its first edition in 2025, Football On The Lake will return from July 28 to August 1, with the Como Cup at the centre of a bigger programme that will feature six teams, more events and the return of the Fan Village.

Created as a celebration of football in one of the most beautiful settings in the game, Football On The Lake turns Como into a meeting point for clubs, players, families, visitors and fans from around the world. Across five days, the city will host a new edition of the Como Cup alongside a wider festival programme designed to bring the rhythm of summer in Como to life.

Last year’s inaugural edition brought Como 1907, Ajax, Celtic and Al Ahli to the lake for a week that quickly became more than a tournament. Around the matches, the Football Village filled with supporters, families and visitors, while the wider Football On The Lake programme carried the energy of the event through the city. Live performances from Becky Hill, Sick Luke and DJ Patrick Nazemi helped turn the week into a true summer festival, where football, music, food and the rhythm of Como came together by the water. This year, the format grows again.

Six teams will compete in the Como Cup, with participating clubs to be announced soon. Further details on the full event programme, music, food, fan experiences, tickets and tourism packages will also be shared in the coming weeks on Como 1907’s official channels.

Further announcements on participating teams, events, tickets and tourism packages will follow soon. Keep an eye on Como 1907’s official channels for more information.