Cesc Fabregas says Como's trip to Lens on Wednesday at 20.00 GMT, 21.00 CET, is exactly the kind of night his side wanted, but he also knows it will be a serious test. Como are in their first ever Champions League campaign, have won both home matches and lost only away to Feyenoord, and now head into Lens vs Como with the noise of Stade Bollaert-Delelis waiting for them.

Fabregas on the Lens atmosphere

“It’s a wild atmosphere, I played here two or three times for Monaco, I love nights like this, because you can feel the passion even during the warm-up,” Fabregas told football-italia.net. He added that Como wanted these nights and that anyone not motivated for them is in the wrong job.

That is not the voice of a coach trying to lower expectations. Fabregas also said he showed his players how full the ground gets during the warm-up, and that winning there would require play at the highest level. The home side may be 27th in the Champions League league phase with 3 points from 3 matches, but Lens still look like a difficult place to manage emotionally and physically.

Thauvin and Como's workload

Fabregas was just as direct about Florian Thauvin, calling him Lens' reference point and saying Como need to keep a close eye on him. Thauvin has 4 goals in 9 Ligue 1 appearances, and Fabregas described him as an incredible player with huge quality who makes the difference.

Como's own problem is less glamorous. Trevoh Chalobah, Moise Kean, Jesus Rodriguez, Assane Diao and Jayden Addai are out of action, and Fabregas said the squad is down to 15 players. He also linked that shortage to the broader workload, saying Como have gone from a season of 39 matches to 43, and that this year will be at least 47 or 48.

The league-phase numbers show why he is taking the balance seriously. Como sit 9th with 6 points from 3 matches, with 2 wins, 0 draws and 1 loss, and they have scored 10 and conceded 5 in Europe so far. Fabregas can enjoy the atmosphere, but he is right to treat this as more than a noisy away night.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →