[2026-27 UEFA Champions League] Feyenoord vs Como 1907: Match Preview Kick-off: 16:45 UTC on 14 October
Feyenoord and Como 1907 meet at De Kuip in Rotterdam for their second league phase match in the UEFA Champions League at 16:45 UTC on 14 October. After a heavy defeat in their opener, Feyenoord need their first points at home. Como 1907 won their European debut and will look to carry that momentum into their first away game. This first competitive meeting between the sides could hinge on how well Como 1907 handles Feyenoord’s press.
1. Match overview and team form
Feyenoord lost 5-1 away to Barcelona and sat 33rd in the league phase as of 13 October. Como 1907 beat RB Leipzig 4-1 at home and were sixth. Their European starts were worlds apart, but their domestic form also matters. Feyenoord lead the Eredivisie after 8 matches this season, with 6 wins, 2 draws, 27 goals scored and 7 conceded. Como 1907 are sixth in Serie A after 6 matches, with 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat. Last season, Feyenoord finished second in the Eredivisie and Como 1907 were fourth in Serie A.
Competition and form Champions League opener: Feyenoord lost 5-1 away to Barcelona / Como 1907 beat RB Leipzig 4-1 at home Domestic league this season: Feyenoord, 6 wins and 2 draws in 8 Eredivisie matches / Como 1907, 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat in 6 Serie A matches Last match: Feyenoord beat AZ Alkmaar 2-0 at home / Como 1907 drew 0-0 at home with AS Roma
Recent results also look very different at first glance. Since the Barcelona game, Feyenoord have won 3 league matches in a row, scoring 14 goals without conceding. But the 7-0 win over PEC Zwolle and 5-0 win over FC Utrecht are hard to use as a guide to how many they might score against Como 1907. The 2-0 win over AZ Alkmaar, who competed well in possession, is a closer comparison. Feyenoord scored first after an early press, but then needed Ernst to make a one-on-one save and Read to block a shot. A clean sheet alone does not mean their defensive risks have gone away.
Como 1907 have failed to score in their last 2 league games since beating RB Leipzig. That does not mean their chances have dried up. In a 2-0 away defeat to Frosinone, they had 27 shots and an expected goals figure of 2.12. Nico Paz also created chances in the 0-0 draw with AS Roma. The concern is what they have allowed at the other end. Frosinone pressed Míya and Da Cunha to disrupt Como 1907’s build-up, then scored on the counter immediately after a Como corner. That is why we need to look at both the recent scoring drought and their defending after losing the ball.
The teams have taken different paths into this season. Feyenoord, with Bronckhorst back in charge, have boosted their league scoring despite bringing in new players in goal, midfield and up front. Fabregas’s Como 1907 have kept the structure that took them to fourth in Serie A last season, along with the key links behind the striker. One away game at Barcelona is not enough to judge how Feyenoord’s new combinations will hold up against strong opposition. Como 1907 also need to reproduce their attacking display against RB Leipzig in their first European away match.
Bronckhorst has said Feyenoord have to win this game. With no points from their European home opener, there is little sign they will rest key players. Watanabe missed the AZ Alkmaar match but is available again. The choice at left-back remains open until the teams are announced: will Feyenoord keep Javi López, with Smal and Bos unavailable, or move Mármol across? With Nieuwkoop and Beelen also out, there are few options to change the defence during the game.
Como 1907 are expected to start Douvikas up front with Kean out injured. Kean has played 158 minutes across 4 matches this season, so his absence is a bigger loss from the bench than to the starting attacking combination. If they fall behind, they have no specialist centre-forward to replace Douvikas. Caqueret is also not registered for the Champions League squad, so they cannot repeat the starting combination that brought Baturina off the bench against AS Roma. Diao, Nico Paz and Baturina are likely to support Douvikas.
The clubs have never met in a competitive match. Feyenoord have a record of 5 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat in 8 home games against Italian clubs, but different managers and key players make those results a poor guide to this match. This will be Como 1907’s first away game in European competition. Feyenoord have had 17 hours and 45 minutes more rest than Como 1907 between their previous match and this one. Both teams have another fixture coming up, but they are expected to use their key players. Rain and strong winds are not forecast in Rotterdam around kick-off.
2. Tactical match-up
The first key battle is Como 1907’s first pass out from the centre-backs. If Feyenoord press the centre-backs through Ferri and close down Míya and Da Cunha with Zechiël and Targhalline, Como 1907 could lose the ball in midfield. Feyenoord are quick to send Ferri, Hadj Moussa and Valente forward after winning it back. The home side can recreate the midfield pressure and counter-attacking danger that Frosinone caused Como 1907.
The same pattern will not automatically follow from Feyenoord’s usual shape. Frosinone had a player track Nico Paz as well. If Van Houten takes that role for Feyenoord, the space in front of the centre-backs could open up. If he does not, Nico Paz could receive the ball facing forward. How far Zechiël and Targhalline push up on Míya and Da Cunha will also affect the burden on Van Houten. Feyenoord need to win the ball through their press while limiting the time Nico Paz has to find a pass.
Como 1907 have ways to play through the press. Against RB Leipzig, they built from the back before Baturina sent the ball into Douvikas’s run, and Douvikas finished after a long sprint. They also broke forward through Nico Paz and Diao after Leipzig committed players to attack. If Feyenoord fail to win the ball high up the pitch, Nico Paz could pick out Douvikas running behind the centre-backs while the advanced midfielders and full-backs are still getting back. In the Barcelona match, Feyenoord conceded a third goal in the 57th minute after pushing forward to get back into the game and failing to stop a pass between their centre-backs.
We should not simply expect another 4-1 like the Leipzig result. Leipzig had 8 new signings in that match, and Como 1907 scored 4 times from 6 shots on target. The way they played through the press showed what they can do, but there is little evidence to expect the same finishing rate again. Feyenoord’s press is also not necessarily the same as Frosinone’s. What matters is how well Feyenoord can reproduce the pressure that worked against Como 1907 in those two different matches.
On the flanks, Feyenoord’s attack down the right will test Como 1907’s left side. Read can push forward and deliver low crosses, while Hadj Moussa cuts inside from the right to shoot. If Como 1907 start Valle at left-back and he joins the attack, Hadj Moussa and Read could target the space he leaves behind. How much Baturina tracks back will matter too. If Como 1907 start Caiki instead, the balance of their defence and attacking support from the left will change. On Como 1907’s right, Diao can take on Feyenoord’s left-back one on one, so Bronckhorst’s choice on the left could shape both sides’ attacks.
The managers also have different options once the first goal goes in. Como 1907 have brought on Kempf and switched to a back three or a 5-4-1 to protect a lead. If Feyenoord go ahead first, Como 1907 can send their full-backs forward more often, but without Kean they lack the option of bringing on a specialist striker. Diarra, who can run in behind, offers Feyenoord another attacking option in that situation. If Feyenoord fall behind, they can turn to set pieces and attacking substitutions, but they will also have to deal with Como 1907’s counters while short of defensive replacements.
The game could also change as it goes on. Feyenoord pressed hard for the first 35 minutes against AZ Alkmaar, then had to withstand their opponent’s pressure and attacks. Against Leipzig, Como 1907 played through the early press and created more possession and attacking chances after the break. Whether the home side can score first and then continue to restrict passes into Míya and Da Cunha are linked questions. If Como 1907 get through the opening spell without conceding, how often Nico Paz receives the ball could have a bigger effect on the flow of the match. The sample is too small, though, to say that pressing intensity will definitely drop at a particular point.
3. Verdict and prediction
We favour a home win, with Feyenoord scoring first through their early press and adding another when Como 1907 push forward to respond. Our score predictions are 3-1 or 2-1. If the opener comes early and Como 1907 spend a long time attacking, Feyenoord could score 3. Como 1907 have a route to a goal through Nico Paz’s passing and Diao’s work down the flank, so we do not expect Feyenoord to win without conceding.
This view comes down to the tactics and personnel. When Como 1907 used the same attacking combination against Frosinone, they struggled to stop the opposition moving forward after losing the ball under pressure in midfield. Feyenoord have Ferri, Hadj Moussa and Valente to run into those spaces, and Bronckhorst has also brought on Diarra when room opened up behind the defence. Como 1907 can change their shape to protect a lead, but if they concede first they will have to make do without Kean up front.
The market gives the away side the edge, based on Como 1907’s big win over Leipzig, Feyenoord’s heavy defeat at Barcelona and last season’s league finishes. Como 1907 have kept their structure, while Feyenoord’s new combinations have not yet been tested against strong opposition. Those factors count, but the two opening results came against different opponents and at different venues from this match. We give the home side a better chance because Feyenoord’s forward surges after winning the ball could target the route through which Como 1907 have recently conceded. Our prediction depends on Feyenoord winning the ball from Míya and Da Cunha early and turning those recoveries into chances. If Como 1907 repeatedly play through the press, get the ball to Nico Paz and score first, they could change their defensive shape and see out an away win.
