Cesc Fabregas is excited to reunite with his former Chelsea boss, Antonio Conte, but expects Napoli to prove a "great challenge" for Como in Serie A.

Como start the weekend in fifth, three points behind fourth-place Juventus, with four games left to play as they attempt to close in on Champions League qualification.

They ended a three-match winless streak last time out, getting a 2-0 win over Genoa following back-to-back losses.

But second-place Napoli, who still harbour a slim chance of reclaiming their Serie A title, are the next visitors to Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Saturday.

"Napoli are a team that have grown significantly in recent years, both in Europe and in Italy," Fabregas said.

"They've had an excellent season so far, and great credit goes to the squad and the manager.

"I think it will be a very good match between two teams that want to play good football, control possession, and approach the game with determination, courage and quality. It will be a great challenge."

Fabregas played under Conte at Stamford Bridge between 2016 and 2018, making 86 appearances under the Italian.

"I learned a great deal from Antonio," said Fabregas of Conte.

"He made me suffer so much on a purely physical level. He was always demanding pace, intensity, go at full speed; nobody made me suffer more.

"I want that too from my team, perhaps in a slightly different way, some with or without the ball.

"It is true that after four or five months of adapting to his methods, by December I was flying. I felt physically incredible. Once I got used to his way of doing things, his mentality, I really believed in what he was doing."

Should Napoli lose to Como, it would put Inter on the brink of clinching the Scudetto, with 10 points separating Conte's side from the champions elect ahead of the weekend.

Napoli have lost nine of their 21 away games in all competitions in 2025-26 (W9 D3 L9); the last time they registered at least 10 defeats in a single season was in 2014-15 (11, under Rafael Benitez).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Como – Nico Paz

Tasos Douvikas and Nico Paz have both scored 12 goals in Serie A this season; only two Como players have netted more in a single top-flight campaign: Giuseppe Baldini (13 in 1951-52) and Vittorio Ghiandi (18 in 1949-50).

Paz has also provided six assists in the Italian top-flight, while he tops the charts for chances created with 48.

Napoli – Scott McTominay

Scott McTominay has scored in each of his last three Serie A away matches.

The Scot could become the first midfielder to find the net in four consecutive away games in the competition in the three-points-for-a-win era (since 1994-95).

MATCH PREDICTION: COMO WIN

Como are unbeaten in their last two Serie A matches against Napoli (W1 D1) and could go three consecutive league games without defeat against them for the first time in the competition.

Napoli have won just one of their last six away Serie A matches against Como (D4 L1), a 1-0 victory on 25th June 1989 with a goal from Alessandro Renica – this after the Partenopei had won five of their first six away top-flight games against the Lariani (L1).

After their 3-4 defeat against Inter, Como could lose two consecutive home Serie A matches for the first time since January-February 2025 (against Atalanta and Juventus on that occasion).

Como have conceded eight goals in their last five Serie A home games at the Sinigaglia, after letting in only seven goals in their first 12 home matches in the competition this season.

Since the start of 2026, only Inter (43) have gained more Serie A points than Napoli (35) and Como (34); during this period, Como have scored 37 goals in 18 matches (2.1 on average), fewer than only Inter (45).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Como – 42%

Draw – 28.1%

Napoli – 29.9%