The fixture list is a peculiar beast. It giveth and it taketh away, often before a single ball has been kicked. For the supporters of Como, the releas...
The fixture list is a peculiar beast. It giveth and it taketh away, often before a single ball has been kicked. For the supporters of Como, the release of the 2026. 27 Serie A schedule will have prompted a sharp double take. Their beloved Lariani, a club on the rise with ambitions that stretch far beyond the shimmering waters of Lake Como, are set to begin their campaign with three consecutive away matches. It is a logistical and tactical quirk that feels almost unprecedented. One wonders what the football gods have in mind.Let us be clear. This is not a scheduling error. This is a deliberate construct of the league calendar, a consequence of the complex dance between club requests, policing requirements, stadium availability, and television demands. But for a side like Como, one that prides itself on building a fortress at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, this opening gambit is a genuine test of nerve. Cesc Fabregas, if he is still at the helm, will have to prepare his squad for a nomadic start. The psychological advantage of a home debut is stripped away. Instead, the team must find its rhythm on hostile territory, forging an early season identity on the road.How will the squad cope with the travel and the dislocation The modern football calendar is already a merciless schedule. Throw in three long away trips before you even get the chance to hear your own supporters roar, and you are asking for serious mental fortitude. The players cannot use the familiar touchlines of home to find their feet. Every mistake will be under a microscope, every misplaced pass greeted by the jeers of a foreign crowd. For a team that relies on tactical flexibility and transitional play, the lack of a settled base could be a significant hindrance. Or perhaps it will forge a siege mentality. Football has a funny way of turning perceived disadvantages into fuel.There is also the matter of points accumulation. The opening salvos of a Serie A season are often frantic and unpredictable. Teams who hit the ground running can establish a comfortable mid table cushion. Como will be aware that falling behind the pack before the end of August is a recipe for a season of squeaky bum time. They will need clinical finishing on the break and a low block of immense discipline to weather the storm. A point from each of those three away games would be a respectable return. Anything more would be a statement of intent. Anything less would leave the club chasing shadows from the very beginning. The fixture list has thrown down a gauntlet. It is now down to Como to pick it up, dust it off, and throw it right back.Ultimately, this is just the opening chapter of a long story. The beauty of the season is its length, its ability to provide redemption and punishment in equal measure. But in the tight margins of modern football, where every single detail is pored over, this oddity of a start will be a defining narrative for the early weeks. The road to glory, it seems, quite literally begins away from home.
