Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick says that he wants his side to try and ‘control’ the game in the Champions League this evening against Como, who he describes as ‘a really good team’.
United are taking on Cesc Fabregas’s side at the Stadio Sinigaglia in Wednesday’s early kick-off at 17.45 BST.
You can follow the action as it unfolds on the Football Italia Liveblog.
Carrick speaks ahead of Como vs. Manchester United
Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of kick-off, Carrick commented on the return of former Juventus centre-back Matthijs De Ligt to his starting line-up. This is the Dutchman’s first start since November last year.
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 30: Matthijs de Ligt of Manchester United looks on during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United at Selhurst Park on November 30, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
“Yeah, first of all it’s fantastic to have Matta [De Ligt] back, he’s worked so hard for such a long period of time and he’s been training for a good number of weeks now and it’s great to have him back on the pitch for sure,” said Carrick.
Looking ahead to the task at hand against Como on Wednesday night, Carrick said: “Yeah, they’re a really good team and they’ve had a long spell of winning a lot of games. We want to look like a really good team. We’ve got to do certain things to do that. We want to build on Sunday, on the foundation of that, control the game. Coming away from home in Europe, you want to see the ball and try and control the game from that perspective.
“We’ve got a good team on the pitch tonight, a lot of experience, so I’m looking forward to seeing the boys play.”
FLORENCE, ITALY – OCTOBER 18: Mattia Liberali of Como 1907 celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and Como 1907 at Stadio Artemio Franchi on October 18, 2026 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
It was suggested to Carrick that Como are a team that like to keep the ball, especially when at home, so how does Carrick plan to combat Fabregas’s preferred style of play?
“That’s part of the beauty of football, the different styles, the different things you come up against each week. You’ve got to adapt to it a little bit. Each week, we trust our shape, we trust our co-ordination and the connections between us to solve so many issues that they pose, because they’re a good team.”
"He's been training for a good number of weeks now, it's great to have him back on the pitch" Michael Carrick on Matthijs de Ligt's return from injury, and facing Como in the Champions League 🗣️