“Good memories of this stadium”: Micho and Christo ahead of Como clash

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·9 September 2026

“Good memories of this stadium”: Micho and Christo ahead of Como clash

RBL are back in the Champions League! The Red Bulls begin their league-phase campaign away to Como 1907 on Thursday evening (21:00 CEST). It will be the first competitive meeting between the two sides, and Como are preparing to make their Champions League debut.

Martín Demichelis and Christopher Nkunku spoke to the media on Wednesday evening ahead of the game. How are they feeling about RBL’s return to European action? What kind of challenge will Como pose? And what will our game plan be?

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We’ve rounded up the key quotes from the player and head coach.

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Micho on a special first:

“My first game as a head coach in the Champions League being here in Como is particularly special for me and a huge honour. I have a strong connection to Italy. My grandmother was Italian. I also did my coaching badges here and I’ve made a lot of friends in the country.We’re coming up against a very good side, so we’ll need to be fully focused and trust in our own strengths while also being aware of Como’s qualities. We’ve worked very hard over the past few months and now we want to show that we’re ready for this challenge.”

Christo’s fond memories of Como:

“It’s nice to be back here. I’ve got good memories of this stadium. We won here with Milan. I played well and scored.Tomorrow will be a completely different game, though. Como are a very good side. They play an intriguing style of football and move the ball very well. You can see that their players have a very good understanding of how they want to play. We’ll need to be fully switched on from the first minute. I’m looking forward to it.”

Christo on Micho and his return to RBL:

“Micho helps us a lot, both on and off the pitch. We’ve had a few good days to prepare for the game and he’s said the right things to make sure we’re fully focused. Hopefully we can earn him three points in his first Champions League game. Of course, we also want to earn the points for ourselves as a team and for everyone in Leipzig. That’s our main aim for tomorrow.I had some really good conversations with him before I came back to Leipzig. I knew I wanted to come back here. I wanted to return to RBL and play the kind of football I want to play once again.”

Christo on his goal celebration:

“We’ll see if I’ve packed a balloon (laughs). Seriously, though, I’d obviously be delighted if I could help the team with a goal. But ultimately it’s about us putting in a good performance and getting the win. That’s our aim for tomorrow. It doesn’t matter who scores the goals.”

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