Feyenoord host Champions League debutants Como 1907 at De Kuip on Wednesday night in the second round of the league phase. Kick-off in Rotterdam is scheduled for 10:15 PM IST (6:45 PM local time), with the Dutch hosts dealing with a lengthy injury list while the Italian visitors travel without striker Moise Kean.
Feyenoord team news and injuries
Feyenoord head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be without six confirmed absentees for the visit of the Serie A side. Defenders Thomas Beelen (broken leg), Jordan Bos (knee), Bart Nieuwkoop (knee) and Gijs Smal (ankle) are all ruled out, alongside forwards Reiss Nelson (muscle) and Shaqueel van Persie.
Midfielder Jakub Moder (knee) and winger Goncalo Borges (knock) are also doubts after missing recent sessions. Reports differ on center-back Tsuyoshi Watanabe, who has been recovering from a leg problem. While early pre-match notes listed the Japanese defender as doubtful, Dutch publication Voetbalzone reported on Wednesday that Watanabe is fit again and could be used as a substitute.
Voetbalzone reports that Van Bronckhorst plans to keep the same starting eleven that beat AZ Alkmaar 2-0 on Saturday. Striker Nacho Ferri will lead the attack after stepping into the starting role following Ayase Ueda’s transfer to Lille. Ferri has scored in three straight matches, recording a hat-trick against PEC Zwolle before adding goals against FC Utrecht and AZ. Anis Hadj Moussa returned to action against AZ and is expected to start on the right wing, with Luciano Valente on the left.
Como team news and squad omissions
Moise Kean is Como’s only injury absentee after the striker picked up a leg muscle injury while on international duty with Italy. He missed Sunday’s league match against Roma and remains sidelined for the trip to Rotterdam.
Six other players are unavailable for Wednesday’s match because they were not included in Como’s Champions League squad. Midfielder Maxence Caqueret, winger Jayden Addai, goalkeeper Mauro Vigorito, midfielder Adrian Lahdo, and defenders Willy Kambwala and Edoardo Goldaniga are all ineligible to feature.
Head coach Cesc Fabregas is expected to make changes from the weekend draw with Roma, including recalling Alex Valle at left-back.Midfielder Martin Baturina, who scored Como’s first Champions League goal and provided an assist against RB Leipzig on Matchday 1, is set to start alongside playmaker Nico Paz.Paz registered two assists against Leipzig and is expected to join winger Assane Diao in supporting striker Anastasios Douvikas.
Recent form and match context
The two clubs enter Wednesday’s fixture at opposite ends of the 36-team Champions League standings. Feyenoord sit 33rd after losing 5-1 to Barcelona at Camp Nou in their opener last month, while Como sit fifth in the top eight after beating RB Leipzig 4-1 in their first European match.
Feyenoord have responded to their defeat in Spain with three straight Eredivisie wins to climb to the top of the Dutch league table. Van Bronckhorst’s men beat PEC Zwolle 7-0, defeated FC Utrecht 5-0, and ended AZ Alkmaar’s seven-month unbeaten league streak without conceding a goal across those three fixtures. However, the Rotterdam club have won just one of their last seven meetings against Italian teams, most recently losing 2-0 and 2-1 to Inter Milan in the 2024-25 round of 16.
Como’s league form has been uneven since their win over Leipzig. Fabregas’s side beat Parma 2-1 in Serie A before losing 2-0 to promoted Frosinone and drawing 0-0 against Roma on Sunday, despite Roma playing the final 44 minutes with 10 men following Donyell Malen’s red card. That stalemate was the first goalless draw of the Serie A season after 53 matches and left Como without a goal in consecutive league games for the first time since December 2025.
Predicted lineups
Feyenoord possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Tjark Ernst, Givairo Read, Jeremiah St. Juste, Mika Marmol, Javi Lopez, Gjivai Zechiel, Charles Vanhoutte, Oussama Targhalline, Anis Hadj Moussa, Nacho Ferri, Luciano Valente.
Como possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Jean Butez, Yan Couto, Jacobo Ramon, Trevoh Chalobah, Alex Valle, Luis Milla, Lucas Da Cunha, Assane Diao, Nico Paz, Martin Baturina, Anastasios Douvikas.
Wednesday’s encounter at De Kuip is Como’s first competitive match against a Dutch opponent. A victory in Rotterdam would make the Serie A club the third Italian side in history to win their opening two matches in the European Cup or Champions League.
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