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.