No excuses for Man Utd against vulnerable Como side struck with fresh injury concern

Manchester United suffered their first Champions League defeat of the season against Atletico Madrid. Michael Carrick will urge his players to get back to winning ways in Europe when they travel to face Como in Italy.

The 2026/27 Champions League campaign started with a 4-0 win over FK Sabah, but everyone knew that bigger tests lay ahead in Europe. The 2-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid proved that on Tuesday night. There were also signs that not all is well in the dressing room, with Lisandro Martinez lambasting the hierarchy, blaming director of football Jason Wilcox for Manchester United’s shortcomings in the summer transfer window.

United are looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League on Sunday with a trip to Leeds. They will then travel to Italy to face Como in the Champions League.

After returning from Madrid, Carrick and his coaches would have paid close attention to Como’s clash with Eredivisie outfit Feyenoord. The Italians lost 3-2, and there was a lot to take from the game.

Man Utd should beat Como

A lot has been written about Como and how far they’ve come to qualify for the Champions League this season. As amazing the story is, they were underwhelming against Feyenoord.

Como opened the scoring in the 18th minute through Senegalese winger Assane Dioa. It was a stunning finish to beat Tjark Ernst in the Feyenoord goal, but it was how he shrugged off competition from the nearest defender that stood out most. Probably because I was fearful of how our defence would deal with such a situation.

It was Diao’s second Champions League goal in as many games, but he was forced off minutes later with an injury. The substitution came shortly after Feyenoord equalised through Gjivai Zechiel. The Dutch giants doubled their lead in the early stages of the second half, with Hadj Sanchez getting on the scoresheet.

With under 10 minutes left on the clock, Robert Sanchez scored an own goal to strengthen Feyenoord’s lead. Anastasios Douvikas pulled one back towards the end, but it was too little too late for Como as the game ended 3-2.

It was a disappointing result for Cesc Fabregas’ side, who have three points after two matches – the same as United. They looked vulnerable and United can have no excuses if they don’t come away from that match with three points.

Football has never been decided on paper, but there’s a stark contrast in quality when you look at United’s squad compared to Como. The Reds will be without Leny Yoro for the trip after his red card against Atletico Madrid.

Still, United are not in a position where they can underestimate any opponent in Europe. That applied against Sabah, who recorded their first-ever Champions League win this week, as it does to Como.

The only way Carrick can turn things around at United is by winning football matches. Doing that against Leeds and then Como would see some pressure lifted from his shoulders – but not all.

Assane Diao injury

United will be paying close attention to developments on Diao’s fitness after the winger with an eye for goal came off injured just minutes after the Como forward opened the scoring against Feyenoord. The 21-year-old tried to play on after appearing to pick up the knock whilst giving Como a lead they could hold for two minutes.

Undoubtedly one of Como’s most threatening players, Fabregas will do all he can to ensure Diao is fit to play against United next Wednesday. United should be winning the game regardless of that, but it still helps if the opposition is without one of their star players.

Speaking to Sky Sport after the match, Fabregas said (via Tuttomercato): “Diao felt he couldn’t run anymore; we have to evaluate how he is. We hope we got him in time. He’s an important player, and you could see that today in the way we played, and you could see it in the goal. The Champions League is a gift from last season.”