Against Juventus, Como's Efforts to Move Away from the Abyss of Relegation

COMO, THURSDAY — The club owned by the Djarum business group, Como 1907, is still struggling to move away from the relegation zone of Italy's Serie A league. This effort faces a tough challenge as they have to host one of the top teams, Juventus, on Saturday (February 8, 2025) early morning WIB.

Three defeats in the last five league matches have left Como still on the brink of relegation. After the latest 0-2 loss to Bologna, the team coached by former Arsenal legend Cesc Fabregas is only two points away from the relegation zone.

From 23 matches, Como has only collected 22 points, with five wins, seven draws, and 11 losses. They are currently in 15th place in Serie A.

The defeat against Bologna is Como's seventh away defeat this season. Only Venezia, who are sunk in 19th position, have experienced more defeats when playing away.

Playing at home is an advantage for Como when hosting Juventus. Not only because they have always scored goals in the last six matches at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium, but they have also won three out of the last five home matches, including important victories over two strong teams, AS Roma (2-0) and Udinese (4-1).

That is a good sign when hosting Juventus, who are chasing a top-four position. As of the 23rd week, the Old Lady is temporarily in fifth place in the standings with 40 points, one point ahead of Fiorentina, who will continue their match against Inter Milan on Friday, February 7, 2025, early morning WIB. This match will start from the 17th minute as it is a continuation of the December 1st game that was halted after Fiorentina player, Edoardo Bove, collapsed on the field.

Even though playing at home, Como's record against Juventus is not very good. They have only won twice, with 11 draws and 14 losses, with the last victory occurring in the 1951/1952 season.

However, Thiago Motta's squad is also not in good condition. They experienced their first defeat in Serie A this season when they faced Napoli (1-2), before bouncing back with a 4-1 victory over Empoli.

However, their form has been disappointing again after losing 0-2 to Benfica in the Champions League. Juventus are now looking for their first back-to-back wins in Serie A since November. Victory over Como would temporarily lift them into the top four.

Como themselves are unlikely to be able to field their new signing Dele Alli, who is still not fit after a long spell out. Two other new signings, Assane Diao and Maxence Caqueret could soon become key players, but Como will be without winger Alieu Fadera who is serving a suspension.

Meanwhile, in the Juventus camp, Andrea Cambiaso is likely to be absent due to an ankle injury. Defenders Bremer and Pierre Kalulu are also injured but new signings Renato Veiga and Lloyd Kelly could fill their positions.

Meanwhile, Como announced that it will soon carry out a renovation project at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on Tuesday (4/2/2025). The modernization of the stadium will increase the capacity of the stadium by about two-fold, from 7,798 to 15,000 spectators.

The development of the stadium, which was built in 1927, is in collaboration with the Como regional government. Como President Mirwan Suwarso presented the project, which will be designed by the architectural firm Populous, to the Mayor of Como, Alessandro Rapinese.

The completion of the renovation is targeted for the start of the 2028/2029 season, with the construction of each stand being phased, as Atalanta did with the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo. The Giuseppe Sinigaglia, which is located on the shores of the famous tourist destination, Lake Como, will however belong to the city, while the club has a license to use the stadium for their home games.

Como hopes the final design for the stadium will be approved by May 2026. "Our goal is to ensure that the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia remains a vital part of the community. The new project will honor the legacy of Giuseppe Sinigaglia, while making it accessible to residents and visitors, not just for football, but for all to enjoy, 365 days a year," Mirwan said.

Djarum took over Como in 2019 after the club had gone through several bankruptcies. They were promoted to Serie A this season and are fighting to stay in Serie A. (AFP)