Genoa vs Como: De Rossi’s side seek first points as Fàbregas looks to build on Napoli win

Genoa welcome Como to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Friday night under early pressure to change the direction of their Serie A campaign, while Cesc Fàbregas’ visitors arrive in Liguria looking to build on one of the standout results of the opening weeks.

Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa have lost both of their first two league matches, opening with a 2-0 home defeat against Napoli before going down 1-0 away to Lazio. Two games without a point — or a goal — have placed greater significance on their return to the Ferraris, where an immediate response would prevent a difficult start from developing into something more serious.

De Rossi nevertheless struck a confident tone before the match. He described Como as one of the teams that has developed most rapidly in Italian football and now considers them among Serie A’s leading sides, but insisted Genoa must also recognise their own ability to cause the visitors problems.

Como arrive in a markedly different position. A 1-1 opening-day draw away to Udinese was followed by an impressive 2-1 victory against Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with Martin Baturina and Tasos Douvikas scoring either side of Napoli’s equaliser. Douvikas has now found the net in both of Como’s opening league games.

That victory strengthened the sense of momentum around Fàbregas’ increasingly ambitious side, although the Como coach has been keen to keep expectations under control. He said his team must build on the performance in Naples while continuing to improve its consistency, character and intensity.

The recent history between the clubs also offers encouragement to the visitors. Como won 2-0 on their last trip to the Ferraris, with Douvikas and Assane Diao scoring, while the overall record across 33 competitive meetings remains finely balanced: 10 Genoa victories, nine for Como and 14 draws.

Friday’s match therefore brings together two teams entering the third round from very different positions. Genoa need their first points and first league goal of the season; Como have the chance to turn an encouraging start into something more substantial. At a stadium Fàbregas compared this week to a “small Bombonera”, the pressure will be firmly on the hosts to respond.