Como Hosts RB Leipzig in Champions League Home Debut with Demichelis, Paz and Perrone on Display

Among the clashes of giants that usually grab the spotlight when a new Champions League campaign kicks off, there's one match that promises more than meets the eye. Como will host RB Leipzig on Thursday, September 10, at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium, marking the Italian club's historic home debut in Europe's top competition. And amid that milestone, there's an extra layer of intrigue for Argentine fans: on the German bench will be Martin Demichelis, while on the other side, wearing Como's jersey, will be Nico Paz and Maximo Perrone.

Demichelis returned to Germany, the country where he developed as a player over a decade, to take charge of Leipzig, and his European debut arrived almost before he could catch his breath. The start of his tenure was promising: a 6-0 win over Eintracht Trier in the German Cup and a 3-0 victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach in his Bundesliga debut, though a 3-1 loss to Werder Bremen followed, raising some defensive questions.

The coach had already expressed his excitement about this continental matchup: "I'm really looking forward to leading Leipzig in the Champions League. Facing the best in Europe is an incredible challenge, and that's exactly where a club with Leipzig's ambition and quality should be," he said in an interview with the Bundesliga's official channel. He also revealed how he's trying to adapt his footballing philosophy to German football: "I come from Spain, where the game is more about possession, and here, in the first few weeks, the players kept sprinting away from me because it's more about transitions here. We're trying to build a mix within what I like."

Paz, the Name Lighting Up Como

On the other side of the pitch, Nico Paz arrives in spectacular form. He closed out the 2025/26 season with 12 goals and 7 assists in Serie A, was named the league's best young player, and UEFA has tabbed him as Como's key card in this Champions League run. The midfielder chose to stay one more year at the club that shaped his development, despite the swirling interest around his future tied to contractual mechanisms held by Real Madrid. "I've decided that the best option for my career right now is to stay at Como for one more year, the club that gave me the chance to grow and become the player I am today," Paz explained.

Cesc Fabregas, his coach, doesn't hold back on the praise: "Nico has it all. Physical presence, quality. He has extraordinary courage, vision, absolute ambition." He added a line that neatly sums up Paz's rapid footballing maturity: "He's 21 years old, he basically started two years ago, but it looks like he's been playing for ten."

Alongside him will be Perrone, formerly of Manchester City, who brings a more combinative dimension to the team: receiving, offering passing lanes, and sustaining the buildup whenever Leipzig tries to press high. Paz and Perrone, each in his own role, are part of the young project Fabregas has built around possession, alongside names like Martin Baturina and Lucas Da Cunha.

Two Identities Set for a Head-On Collision

Leipzig's style was on full display in their opening matches: a 4-3-3 built on pressing, quick combinations, and attackers arriving from multiple positions. "After scoring the first goal, we dominated the match and had better organization both with and without the ball," Demichelis said after the win over Mönchengladbach. Como, by contrast, wants to control the ball and dictate the game through circulation, something Fabregas has been drilling since he took over.

What happens when Como's possession game runs into Leipzig's press? If the Italian side manages to break through the first German line, Paz can pop up between the lines with room to do damage. If Leipzig wins the ball back near the opposing box, their attackers will have ideal space to accelerate. That back and forth could turn this into one of the most entertaining matches of the opening matchday, even if it stays under the radar amid bigger names elsewhere.

Fabregas, in any case, has already warned that the margin for error in this competition is razor thin: "The demands of the Champions League are high, if you're not ready in certain stadiums you'll ship six goals." He also highlighted the road his squad has traveled to get here: "The boys have earned the Champions League. They believed until the very end." With that mindset, Como will welcome a Leipzig side arriving with an Argentine coach, two wins and a loss to open the season, and a European schedule that after this match includes PSV, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United, among others.

In the middle of it all will be them: Demichelis on the bench, Perrone in the middle of the park, and Paz lurking near the opposing box. Three Argentines, three different stories, in a match with more than enough storylines to become one of the early surprises of this Champions League.