Fabregas: ‘Como must show character, happy to be back at Arsenal’ | OneFootball

Cesc Fabregas insists he is ‘the least important one here’ as he leads his Como side out in a friendly against his beloved Arsenal. ‘I want to see how we handle the atmosphere.’

The pre-season friendly kicked off at the Emirates Stadium at 19.30 UK time (20.30 CEST).

Naturally, this was a welcome return for the former Arsenal midfielder, who was back in London as a coach against his old club.

Fabregas wants Como focus

GENOA, ITALY – APRIL 26: Cesc Fabregas, head coach of Como, looks on prior to kick-off in the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and Como 1907 at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on April 26, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

He was asked about his feelings being on the turf against the Gunners.

“It’s wonderful,” Fabregas told Sportitalia.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for us. I am the least important one here. It’s lovely to come back somewhere I was very, very happy, of course, but I’m more interested in seeing how the lads play in front of 65,000 people and how we handle the atmosphere. I want to see us still play like ourselves, with character and show what we can do.”

UDINE, ITALY – APRIL 06: Como manager Cesc Fabregas looks on during the Serie A match between Udinese Calcio and Como 1907 at Stadio Friuli on April 06, 2026 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

This is why Como have organised the friendly matches against Arsenal and then Liverpool, as they had never qualified for a European competition before, let along go straight into the Champions League.

“This is the objective, we are a very young squad, many are 19 or 20 in this team, so the most important thing at this age is to experience games like this,” added Fabregas.

“We know we have quality and technique, but the more matches we can experience at this level, that will improve them. It’s not just about quality, but the atmosphere and passion, so at times people forget this matters a lot as well as the football.”

Como were playing in Serie B only two years ago, but made a meteoric rise under leadership of Fabregas and with strong investment from the Suwarso family at the helm.

They reached the Coppa Italia semi-final last season and snatched fourth place in Serie A from under the noses of Milan and Juventus.

Arsenal vs. Como line-ups

Arsenal: Kepa, Julienne, Salmon, Gabriel, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly, Eze, Nwaneri, Dowman, Jesus, Martinelli

Arsenal bench: Raya, Setford, Meslier, Mosquera, White, Odegaard, Gyokeres, Tzolis, Madueke, Vieira, Merino, Havertz, Calafiori, Guimaraes, Ogunnaike

Como: Butez, Kempf, Valle, Ramon, Cuoto, Baturina, Perrone, Liberali, Da Cunha, Diao, Douvikas

Como bench: Audero, Tornqvist, Vigorito, Da Silva, Goldaniga, Milla, Morata, Caqueret, Gabrielloni, Dossena, Lahdo, Carballo, Kuhn, Fadera, Chalobah