RismadarVoice Reporters
October 21, 2026
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has handed Matthijs de Ligt his first competitive start in nearly 11 months as the English club prepares to face Italian side Como in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League encounter.
The match, scheduled for 5:45 p.m. Nigerian time at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, comes amid mounting pressure on United following a six-match winless run across all competitions.
De Ligt returns to the starting line-up after recovering from a back injury that required surgery and kept him out of competitive action since November 2025.
The Dutch international replaces injured Argentine defender Lisandro Martínez, while Carrick has also recalled Mason Mount, Matheus Cunha and Noussair Mazraoui.
United’s starting line-up includes Senne Lammens, Diogo Dalot, De Ligt, Harry Maguire, Mazraoui, Mount, Andrey Santos, Cunha, Youri Tielemans, Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo.
The return of De Ligt is expected to provide Carrick with additional defensive options as his team attempts to improve its recent performances.
Manchester United enter the contest having collected three points from their opening two Champions League fixtures.
The visitors suffered a 2-0 defeat against Atlético Madrid in their previous European outing and were held to a 1-1 draw by Leeds United in the Premier League on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Como manager Cesc Fàbregas has named an attacking side featuring Nico Paz, Martin Baturina and Anastasios Douvikas.
The Italian club will, however, be without defender Trevoh Chalobah, who is sidelined with a muscle injury.
Fàbregas, a former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder, faces Manchester United in a managerial capacity after years of competing against the club during his playing career.
Speaking ahead of the encounter, the Spaniard declined to entertain speculation linking him with Carrick’s position at Old Trafford.
He described such questions as disrespectful to the United manager and maintained that his attention remained on preparing Como for the fixture.
Como have also secured three points from their opening two Champions League matches, defeating RB Leipzig before losing to Feyenoord.
Elsewhere in Wednesday’s European fixtures, Arsenal will travel to Germany to face Bayern Munich, while Aston Villa host Norwegian club Viking.
With both teams seeking important points in the league phase, the encounter in Italy presents United with an opportunity to end their winless sequence, while Como will aim to strengthen their position in the competition.
