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Como moved above Milan on the final day of last season to secure a top-four finish, meaning this is the first time since the Champions League was rebranded that neither AC Milan nor Juventus will feature in the competition.

As recently as 2019, the club from the shores of the lake were competing in Serie D. Tonight, they make their first appearance in Europe’s premier club tournament, hosting RB Leipzig. Under the guidance of Cesc Fabregas, Como were seen as outsiders when they arrived in Serie A in 2024. Dennis Wise had served as chief executive officer, but departed that summer.

With a population of 84,000, the city is known for attracting wealthy and high-profile residents, with its scenic setting on Lake Como drawing visitors and settlers from far beyond Italy. The football club was purchased seven years ago by Indonesia’s Hartono family, whose net worth is more than £30bn.

Thierry Henry invested in 2022, and Fabregas later followed suit as he brought his playing career to a close with the club while they were in Serie B. The Spaniard then stepped up as manager, taking them into the top flight and leading them to 10th place in their first season there, before an outstanding fourth-place finish last term.

Pepe Reina and Raphael Varane arrived after promotion, and Alvaro Morata joined last summer, but the club’s rise has owed less to established names and more to shrewd recruitment. Among the key additions were young Argentine creator Nico Paz from Real Madrid and Greek leading scorer Anastasios Douvikas from Celta Vigo.

After doing such an impressive job in his first spell as a manager, Fabregas has naturally been linked with roles elsewhere, but he turned down Inter a year ago.

Como overtook Milan on the final day of last season to clinch a top-four place, making this the first edition since the Champions League rebrand in which neither AC Milan nor Juventus will be involved.

There were concerns over whether the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia would satisfy UEFA requirements, and Como might have been forced to play in Sassuolo, 120 miles away, or Udine, 200 miles away. Instead, the club completed a remarkable 90-day construction effort to secure Category 4 approval after a rapid redevelopment.

Shakhtar Donetsk, who also reached the league stage, will not play at home for obvious reasons. They held discussions over using Brentford’s ground, with a backup option in Germany, but have chosen Stamford Bridge instead.

Several surprise champions began the summer in qualifying. Mjallby, from a fishing village with a population of only 800, won their first Swedish title, while FC Thun became champions of Switzerland for the first time. Levski Sofia ended Ludogorets’ 14-year run as Bulgarian champions, even though Ludogorets’ name is an anagram of ‘good result’ — a description that no longer feels quite so apt. They missed out on matching the world record of 15 consecutive league titles, which is held by Vanuatu club Tafea.

None of those clubs mentioned above reached the league phase proper, but Como did.