Como vs Venezia Preview
There are few better ways to spend a Sunday lunchtime than watching a top-of-the-table side in blistering form take on a bottom club that has barely won a game all season. That is exactly what Serie A is serving up this weekend, as Como welcome Venezia to the banks of Lake Como for what looks on paper like a very straightforward afternoon for Cesc Fabregas and his increasingly impressive side. But football does not always follow the script, and Venezia have shown in recent weeks that they are not completely toothless, even if their league position tells a very sorry story.
Como are flying right now, and that is not an overstatement. Four consecutive wins, twelve goals scored, three conceded, and a position just above AC Milan in fourth place in Serie A. They have also gone and beaten Manchester United in the Champions League during that run, which tells you everything about the level this squad is operating at. Fabregas has built something genuinely exciting at Stadio Sinigaglia, and the talk is no longer just about staying in the top half. People are starting to whisper about whether they could genuinely push for a Scudetto. Only Inter, Roma, and Lazio are above them, and none of those clubs will be resting easy knowing Como are lurking.
For Venezia, this trip north is about as daunting as it gets. They arrived back in Serie A after promotion last spring full of hope, but three points from nine games is relegation form, plain and simple. They have already changed manager, with survival specialist Davide Nicola coming in to replace Giovanni Stroppa, and while he got off to a stunning start by beating Napoli, reality has bitten back hard since. A 1-0 loss to Genoa last weekend, then two late own goals against Inter in midweek. Venezia need something here, but this fixture could not have come at a worse time.
Como vs Venezia Form
Como’s current run of form is the kind that makes you sit up and take notice. Four wins on the spin, and they have not just been grinding them out either. They have been scoring freely and keeping things tight at the back, which is the combination that wins leagues. The midweek comeback against Torino summed them up perfectly. Jacobo Ramon gifted the hosts the opener, and for a moment you wondered if fatigue was catching up with a squad being stretched across multiple competitions. Then Ramon headed in the equaliser on 81 minutes, Nico Paz added the winner, and Martin Baturina put the cherry on top. That kind of character and quality is hard to contain.
The record of 20 points from nine games is club-record territory, and it puts them in fourth place going into the weekend. Fabregas has found a system that suits his players, with Paz pulling strings in behind the striker and Baturina adding real quality on the left. Tasos Douvikas is leading the line effectively as top scorer, and even without a fully fit squad, Como keep finding ways to win. That is the hallmark of a genuinely good side, not just one riding a lucky streak.
Venezia’s form could hardly be more different. Eight defeats from nine games is a brutal record, and the manner of some of those losses has been deeply concerning. They have only scored six goals all season and are conceding at more than two per game on average. Even the positives are tinged with frustration. They matched Inter for long stretches in midweek and were level with ten minutes to go, only to concede twice through own goals in the closing stages. That kind of luck, or lack of it, tends to follow teams deep in trouble. Nicola has plenty of work to do, and a trip to fourth-placed Como is not the fixture you want when you are trying to build confidence and momentum.
Como vs Venezia Head to Head
These two clubs have not shared the same division often enough for the head-to-head record to tell us a huge amount. Venezia spent years bouncing between Serie A and Serie B, and their time in the top flight has been sporadic at best. What we do know is that Venezia have yet to pick up a single point away from home this season, and their record on the road has been miserable. They have not just been losing, they have been struggling to compete, and the gap in quality between these squads right now is about as wide as you will find in the division.
At Stadio Sinigaglia, Como have been formidable. The home crowd has fed into the energy of this team throughout the early part of the season, and Fabregas’s side have looked genuinely difficult to beat on their own patch. Venezia have shown some spirit at their own ground, but that has not translated into anything when they travel. There is no obvious reason why that changes here.
Como vs Venezia Lineups
Fabregas faces some selection headaches, but they are the kind of headaches a manager in good form can absorb. Trevoh Chalobah, Jesus Rodriguez, and Assane Diao are all out injured, while Mattia Liberali and Jayden Addai are doubts. Moise Kean is not expected back until December after specialist treatment on a shin problem, so Douvikas will almost certainly lead the attack again. Despite the heavy fixture schedule, Fabregas put out a strong team against Torino in midweek, suggesting he trusts his first-choice players to handle the workload. Expect something close to the same lineup that beat Torino, with Paz, Baturina, and Da Cunha offering creativity behind the striker. Ramon will be keen to make amends for that early error in midweek, and he showed the character to do exactly that by heading home the equaliser.
For Venezia, Nicola has injury problems of his own. Marin Sverko, Bartol Franjic, and Andrea Adorante are all ruled out, and wing-back Thierry Correia is struggling with a thigh strain that could see him miss this one too. Whether John Yeboah partners club-record signing Akor Adams up front is the main talking point in the Venezia camp. Lion Lauerbach started in midweek and missed a glaring one-on-one against Inter, so there is a chance Nicola reverts to Yeboah and Adams as his first-choice strike partnership. With limited options available and a desperate need for goals, he will want his best attackers on the pitch from the start.
Como vs Venezia Tactics
Fabregas has been clear in his philosophy since taking the Como job. He wants his side to play forward quickly, press high, and use technical quality to dominate possession in the middle third. Paz is the engine of that system, constantly demanding the ball and driving into space, while Baturina provides creativity and an end product from the left side. Douvikas works hard for the team and offers a genuine physical presence as a reference point up front. What makes Como particularly difficult to play against is that they do not ease off when they get ahead. They are perfectly happy to go looking for more goals, which is dangerous news for a Venezia side that has been conceding far too easily.
Nicola will set Venezia up to be compact and hard to break down, at least in theory. His reputation is built on making teams difficult to beat, cutting out the concession of soft goals, and building from a platform of defensive solidity. The problem is that he has not had enough time to implement his ideas properly, and the personnel he has available are not ideally suited to a highly organised defensive structure. Venezia will look to frustrate Como early on and try to nick something on the counter through Adams or Yeboah, but with the quality Como have in the final third, it is hard to see how Nicola’s backline holds firm for long. The flanks are a particular area of vulnerability, and Como have the players to exploit them.
Como vs Venezia Prediction and Betting Tips
This one points very firmly in one direction. Como are in the form of their lives, playing at home, and facing the only side in Serie A yet to pick up a point on the road this season. Venezia have shown occasional glimpses of spirit, but their defensive record is nowhere near good enough to contain an attack with Paz, Baturina, and Douvikas in it. Even with Fabregas potentially rotating a few players, the quality available to him outstrips what Venezia can offer across the park. The tip is Como to win and both teams not to score, which reflects the likelihood of a comfortable home win without Venezia contributing much at the other end. They have only found the net six times all season, and Como’s back four, even without Chalobah, have been solid enough to keep them quiet.
The correct score market is worth a look too, with 3-0 the most likely outcome based on current form patterns. Como have scored three or more in several of their recent wins, and Venezia’s leaky defence makes it easier to back the goals to keep coming. The value is in backing the Lariani to win comfortably, and 3-0 at a decent price reflects both teams’ form perfectly right now.