Fabregas on Manchester United ahead of Champions League clash: 'I don't believe in crises'

Como head coach Cesc Fabregas, asked about the recent form of the English giants ahead of his side's Champions League meeting with Michael Carrick's Manchester United, replied: "I don't believe in crises."

The Italian side host the Red Devils at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on Wednesday, with the two clubs having made very different starts to the season. Como sit 5th in Serie A with 14 points from their first 7 games, and opened their Champions League campaign on matchday 1 with an emphatic 4-1 win over RB Leipzig. After defeat to Feyenoord last week, the Italians bounced back with a 3-1 league win away at Fiorentina.

Things are far from rosy at Manchester United. Carrick's men were held 1-1 by Leeds United on Sunday and have won just 1 of their 7 Premier League matches this season (4 draws, 2 defeats) - United's worst league start at this stage since the 1986-87 season. In the Champions League, an opening win over Sabah was followed by a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid on matchday 2, and the turbulence shows no sign of easing. After the loss in Madrid, defender Lisandro Martinez launched a stinging attack on the club's hierarchy, arguing that the squad is not good enough to compete in Europe and taking aim at the coaching staff and the club's owners.

Despite all of that, Fabregas refused to accept that Manchester United are in crisis, telling reporters: "I don't believe in the concept of crisis in football. You play a game every 3 days, it's 11 against 11 on the pitch and you have to give your very best. Crises are created by you journalists, but we are professionals; we have lived to compete since the day we were born. I don't think there is a crisis."

The match will be the first-ever meeting between Como and Manchester United. Como are aiming to become the first Italian side to win their first 2 home games in the Champions League since Lazio in 1999-00.

The tie will also pit Fabregas and Carrick against each other as head coaches, 17 years after they faced off in the 2008-09 Champions League semi-finals in the colours of Arsenal and Manchester United respectively.

Reflecting on the significance of the occasion, Fabregas said: "It's another historic day for the club, the fans and the city. We have to go out focused and with great hunger. The opponent is Manchester United; we must enjoy the moment, play our own game and try to win. We have an incredible group of players. We must stay humble and know that we still have a lot to learn. We respect our opponents, we have analysed their weak points, but we will also bring to the pitch what we do best."