Liverpool Faces Tough Test Against Como 1907 at Anfield

Liverpool’s final dress rehearsal before the Premier League curtain goes up is not the gentle run-out some would expect. Anfield will be empty, the atmosphere muted, and the opposition anything but.

Como 1907 arrive with momentum, confidence, and a growing reputation for bloodying bigger noses. Cesc Fabregas has turned the newly promoted Serie A side into one of Europe’s most intriguing risers – and they look ready to test Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool in all the areas where the Reds still creak.

Two games between the sides are scheduled on Sunday, with this one played behind closed doors. Strip away the roar of the Kop and the usual Anfield aura fades. On current form, so does Liverpool’s sense of control.

Liverpool still searching for rhythm

Iraola is only just settling into the Liverpool dugout and it shows. His players are still absorbing new ideas, especially out of possession, and the defensive structure remains fragile.

Results have underlined the unease. Liverpool have lost back-to-back pre-season games, both against teams they were widely expected to beat. The collapse against Leeds was particularly alarming: 2-0 up on the hour, 4-2 down by full-time. Seven goals conceded in their last two outings is not the platform any manager wants heading into a new campaign.

The transfer market has not brought much reassurance either. Recruitment has been slow, leaving gaps at the back. Injuries to Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Joe Gomez have thinned the defensive options further, while new signing Jeremy Jacquet has only just returned to training and remains a doubt.

All of that points to Ronald Araujo, on loan from Barcelona, being thrown straight into action. He is expected to form a new-look centre-back pairing, and that relationship will need time to settle. Como, with their sharp movement and confidence in the final third, are exactly the kind of side that can punish any hesitation.

The expected Liverpool XI – Alisson; Frimpong, Araujo, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Chiesa; Wirtz, Gakpo, Isak – screams attacking talent. It also hints at a team built to outscore problems rather than smother them.

They have certainly carried a threat. Liverpool have hit nine goals in four pre-season matches, with Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz both on target in their latest run-out. Going forward, they look lively. At the back, they look loose.

Three of those four friendlies have seen both teams score. The pattern is clear: Liverpool can hurt you, but you can hurt them back.

Como 1907 arrive with nothing to fear

If Liverpool are still trying to find their feet, Como stride into Anfield with their chest out.

Fabregas has every right to be satisfied with pre-season. Como finished fourth in Serie A last term, clinching a first-ever Champions League berth just seven years after playing in Serie D. The rise has been rapid, but it has not been reckless. This is a side that knows exactly what it is.

Their recent trip to the Emirates underlined that. Against Premier League champions Arsenal on Wednesday night, Como went toe-to-toe and walked away level after 90 minutes. That performance, and that result, will echo loudly in the away dressing room at Anfield.

They have not lost a pre-season fixture inside regulation time and are unbeaten in five. Ten goals in those five games show their edge in attack, and they have scored more than once in three of those outings. They concede, they create, they keep coming.

The likely Como XI – Butez; Couto, Ramon, Kempf, Valle; Da Cunha, Perrone, Liberali; Baturina, Diao, Douvikas – carries threat in several lines. Martin Baturina pulls strings between the lines, Anastasios Douvikas leads the line with conviction, and the wide runners stretch the game. This is not a side coming to Anfield for a photo opportunity.

All five of their friendlies have produced goals at both ends. When Como play, the net usually shakes – theirs and their opponents’.

Goals almost guaranteed

Put Liverpool’s attacking firepower together with their defensive uncertainty and add Como’s fearless approach. The equation is simple: this game screams goals.

With the stands empty, Liverpool lose one of their greatest weapons. Without the surge from the Kop, visiting sides can breathe, pass, and grow into the contest. Como, already brimming with belief after holding Arsenal, are unlikely to shrink.

Liverpool have been open, sometimes reckless, in their friendlies. Como have been bold and productive. Both teams have consistently found the net in pre-season. Nothing about this meeting suggests a cagey, low-scoring affair.

A 2-2 scoreline feels entirely plausible. Dominik Szoboszlai and Isak have the quality to score for Liverpool; Baturina and Douvikas have already shown they can trouble elite defences. The match-up looks balanced, not lopsided.

Upset on the cards?

Strip away the badges and reputations for a moment and look at the current trajectories. Liverpool, with a new manager and an unsettled back line, are stuttering into the season. Como, buoyant and unbeaten, are punching upwards with accuracy.

Playing Liverpool at an empty Anfield is probably the best scenario any visiting side could hope for. No roar, no intimidation, just 90 minutes of football between two teams at very different stages of their development cycle.

The Lariani have enough about them to avoid defeat inside normal time. They have already shown they can stand firm against Arsenal. They have not been beaten in pre-season. They score regularly. They face a defence that has shipped seven in two games and is still being stitched together on the fly.

For once, a draw or even a Como win does not feel like fantasy. It feels like a live possibility.

If Liverpool want to send a message before the Premier League kicks off, they will need to do it the hard way – by subduing one of Europe’s most upwardly mobile clubs without the backing track of Anfield’s noise.

On Sunday, we find out whether Iraola’s Liverpool are ready, or whether Fabregas’ Como are about to add another scalp to a rapidly growing story.