Fabregas warns Como of wild Lens atmosphere and Thauvin’s threat

Cesc Fabregas warned that Como will face a wild atmosphere when they meet RC Lens in the Champions League tomorrow. He said he is keeping a close eye on Florian Thauvin. The match kicks off at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens on Wednesday at 20.00 GMT, which is 21.00 CET.

Lariani’s debut campaign

The Lariani are in their first ever Champions League campaign. They have won both home matches, scoring four goals against RB Leipzig. They also scored four goals against Manchester United in the other home win. However, they lost their away fixture to Feyenoord. While RC Lens may not appear as big on paper as those opponents, Fabregas warned they should not be underestimated on home turf.

Chivu urges Inter to stay in Champions League race before Feyenoord

Como’s squad and recent tributes

Fabregas told Sky Sport Italia that he loves nights with a wild atmosphere, recalling he played at the venue two or three times for Monaco. There is a familiar face in French football, former Udinese man Florian Thauvin, who has flourished since his return to France. He added that such nights are a marvelous experience for his players and that anyone not motivated for them is in the wrong job. He described Thauvin as an incredible player who was at Marseille and later faced him for Udinese, noting his huge quality and goal‑scoring ability. Fabregas said Thauvin is the reference point for Lens and that they need to keep a close eye on him. COM O are perhaps no longer a surprise outfit at this stage, says Fabregas. He reflected that Como will try to win and then see what happens, calling the season a whole new experience and saying a good result will shape the approach to the final four games, but they must take it one game at a time. He stressed there is no point thinking about what might happen and that the team must simply enjoy these nights. Fabregas also mentioned that Como have a huge Serie A clash against Inter this weekend but are missing Trevoh Chalobah, Moise Kean, Jesus Rodriguez, Assane Diao and Jayden Addai. He explained that the Champions League list leaves them with only fifteen players for the Lens game, making energy preservation tougher, though Serie A remains the most important competition. Fabregas sent condolences after Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel died in a freak accident during a Spanish second‑division match against FC Andorra. He said football is wonderful but such tragedies are hard to deal with and sent his heart to the family and teammates.

Como spends, Lens sells: opposite models for the Champions League