Fabregas to face old boss when Napoli visits Como
Como is chasing a win that will boost its UEFA Champions League ambitions, with Cesc Fabregas coming up against his former manager Antonio Conte and his Napoli side in Serie A on Sunday (AEST).
Como starts the weekend in fifth, three points behind fourth-place Juventus, with four games left to play as it attempts to close in on UEFA Champions League qualification.
It ended a three-match winless streak last time out, getting a 2-0 win over Genoa after back-to-back losses.
But second-placed Napoli, which still harbours a slim chance of reclaiming its Serie A title, it the next visitor to Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.
"Napoli is a team that has grown significantly in recent years, both in Europe and in Italy," Fabregas said.
"It's 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 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge between 2016 and 2018, making 86 appearances under the Italian.
"I learned a great deal from Antonio," Fabregas said 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 Milan on the brink of clinching the Scudetto, with 10 points separating Conte's side from the champion elect ahead of the weekend.
