Fabregas: ‘Serie A is like being at the university of football’ | OneFootball

Como coach Cesc Fabregas thanks Fiorentina boss Stefano Pioli for a kind gesture as they meet again today, seeing Serie A as ‘like being at a university of football.’

It kicks off at the Stadio Artemio Franchi at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

Fabregas helped Como to earn promotion from Serie B in the summer of 2024 and it was after this achievement that he was invited for a drink by then-Milan tactician Pioli.

Now they meet again, with Pioli having returned to the top flight in charge of Fiorentina.

Fabregas grateful for Pioli gesture

epa11791481 Como’s head coach Cesc Fabregas gestures during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Inter and Como at Giuseppe Meazza stadium in Milan, Italy, 23 December 2024. EPA-EFE/MATTEO BAZZI

“I thank Pioli, he sought me out last summer after Como earned promotion to Serie A, we met in Milan and spent a pleasant couple of hours together talking all things football,” Fabregas told Sky Sport Italia.

“It is a dream for me to be here playing against and working with coaches who have done so much, it is like being at a university of football.

“Obviously Fiorentina have a lot of physicality and experience, we want to make our own characteristics count too, so we’ll see what happens.”

Diego Carlos makes his Serie A debut in the starting XI of the Como defence, stepping in for suspended Jacobo Ramon.

“Jacobo was sent off in the last game, so we had to make changes. Diego Carlos hasn’t played for a while, this is a big opportunity for him to show what he can do and we hope to get a good result.”

Como were held to a 1-1 draw by Genoa, having beaten Lazio in the opening fixture, then suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bologna.