Como looks in Barça's mirror to establish himself among the elite: "I find the defensive line incredible."

Once promotion to Serie A was confirmed, the Catalan was able to take charge of the team without any problems last season, placing it in tenth place in the top flight of Italian football at the end of the season.

The good performances on the pitch, with old acquaintances like Sergi Roberto, together with the large financial injection by the Indonesian Hartono brothers (104 million euros spent in this transfer market, according to the football portal Transfermarkt ), have raised the status of Como 1907. Now, looking to establish himself among the elite, Fàbregas wants to look in the mirror of Barça to be able to make the definitive leap: "It's more than a friendly match, we're playing against the best team in Europe and it's an example for us," the Catalan told the media yesterday at the press conference prior to the Joan Gamper.

Visibly happy to be back home and having recovered “the desire I had as a player,” Fàbregas believes that today's match against Barça will gauge the true potential of his team, which has won every preseason match after facing rivals who competed in European competitions last season, such as Lille, Ajax, and Real Betis .

Following the retirement of Pepe Reina, Como 1907's goalkeeper last season, one of the names most strongly mentioned as a possible addition to the Italian goalkeeping team has been Iñaki Peña. "If there are market opportunities, they will be reviewed and analyzed. Players who we believe can fit into the dynamics of what we do are welcome," the Catalan coach commented on the Alicante-born goalkeeper.

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Despite having been able to exchange knowledge with great coaches, the Arenys de Mar native was eager to speak with Hansi Flick after the final whistle: "I'm looking forward to speaking with Hansi and asking him many questions. He has an idea and believes deeply in his team. The defensive line is incredible, I've asked Álex Valle about it" (transferred to the Italian club this season from Barça). Fàbregas, surrounded by promising youngsters at Como 1907, such as former Betis players Jesús Rodríguez and Assane Diao, expressed that Lamine Yamal "is an inspiration" to "the kids" he coaches.

There was also no shortage of praise for La Masia from the Italian club's manager, who will be the ninth Italian team Barça will face at the Gamper Stadium: "I'm very proud of La Masia, and it shows you that often you don't need to go abroad to look for players. I was there in Milan, and it was hard to swallow that Barça wasn't in the final," he said.

Como is one of the teams that has invested the most in signings, around 104 million euros in this market.

Specifically, two La Masia products, Pau Cubarsí and Alejandro Balde, spoke yesterday in the hours leading up to the match.

“It's always great to introduce ourselves to the fans during a very exciting season for us. We're very happy that Cesc and Sergi are coming to our home,” commented the center-back. Balde also stated that “it's a very special match for the club” and that, like the fans, they are “really looking forward to the season starting.”