Como vs. RB Leipzig preview: Team news & predicted lineups

RB Leipzig will look to bounce back from a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Werder Bremen when they travel to Como for their 2026/27 Champions League opener on Thursday.

Die Roten Bullen had made an impressive start under new coach Martin Demichelis, beating Eintracht Trier 6-0 in the DFB-Pokal and Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 in their Bundesliga opener, before suffering their first defeat of the season against Werder at the weekend.

RB Leipzig managing director for sport Marcel Schäfer described the loss as a “real wake-up call” ahead of Thursday's Champions League opener.

“It was a real wake-up call – perhaps at the right time as well. We’ve already got another important game on Thursday, so we can’t afford to dwell on this for long. At the same time, given the standards we set ourselves, we can’t simply brush this performance aside. We have to learn the right lessons from it and produce a response," he said.

Como, meanwhile, are preparing for their first-ever taste of European football after securing Champions League qualification with a fourth-place finish in Serie A last season.

Cesc Fabregas' side have made a solid start to the new campaign, sitting third in Serie A with seven points after most recently securing a comfortable 4-1 away win over Genoa.

Team news and predicted lineups:

RB Leipzig are dealing with several injury concerns, with Christoph Baumgartner and new signing Rocco Reitz ruled out of Thursday's game.

Romulo and Assan Ouedraogo have yet to feature this season due to injuries, but Leipzig will be hoping both can return to the squad against Como.

Castello Lukeba and Brajan Gruda are also doubts after missing the defeat to Werder Bremen and are racing to be fit in time for their side's Champions League opener.

Como, meanwhile, have just one confirmed absentee in Jayden Addai, who has been sidelined with an Achilles tendon rupture since February.

Click here to see our predicted Como vs. RB Leipzig lineups.