Como vs. Inter: complete guide to the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg — and more

The Coppa Italia is back: Inter are set to face Como away from home in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final tie between the sides, with kick-off at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia scheduled for 21:00 CET on Tuesday 3 March.

The Nerazzurri reached the semi-finals after a 5-1 win over Venezia in the round of 16 in December and a 2-1 victory over Torino in the quarter-finals in February. Como, meanwhile, have had a longer road to the last four, starting their Coppa Italia campaign in the first round in August. To reach the semi-finals, the Lariani knocked out Südtirol, Sassuolo, Fiorentina, and Napoli.

The clash between Como and Inter promises to be an intriguing one, with a place in the final at the Olimpico in Rome at stake. Unlike previous rounds, the semi-finals are played over two legs. If the tie is level after 180 minutes, extra time will be played, followed by penalties if necessary.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Inter and Como have met nine times in the Coppa Italia. The record stands at six wins for the Nerazzurri and three draws. Their first encounter dates back to 1968, while the most recent meeting in Italy's national cup competition came in the round of 16 in 1991. The first leg at San Siro ended 2-2, with Inter winning 2-1 in the return fixture in Como thanks to goals from Berti and Klinsmann. That match at the Sinigaglia remains the last time Como and Inter faced each other outside of Serie A. The two teams will meet again in the Coppa Italia 34 years and 79 days on from that encounter.

Inter have won five of the seven Coppa Italia matches they've played in Como (with two draws), including the two most recent meetings. Como will contest a Coppa Italia semi-final for only the second time in their history, following their two-legged tie against Sampdoria in the 1985/86 season.

THE NERAZZURRI'S FORM

Inter are the team from the top five European leagues that have won the most away games this season across all competitions while keeping a clean sheet: twelve times in total, including seven of their last eight (L1).

The Coppa Italia has also delivered some excellent stats for Inter. They are the only team in the tournament to have scored more than one goal from outside the box this season (two – Esposito and Thuram against Venezia). Furthermore, Como (eight) and Inter (four) are the sides with the most first-half goals so far in this edition of the competition. However, while the Lariani have conceded two in the opening 45 minutes, the Nerazzurri haven’t shipped a single goal in the first half.

The clash is also interesting when it comes to headers: Inter have scored the most headed goals in Serie A this campaign (14), while Como are one of three teams to have conceded the fewest goals in this manner in the league so far (just two, the same as Inter and Roma).

LONG-RANGE GOAL SPECIALISTS

The tie features the three Serie A players who have scored the most goals from outside the box across all competitions since August: Nico Paz (five), Piotr Zielinski (four), and Hakan Çalhanoglu (four).

UNSTOPPABLE DIMARCO

Federico Dimarco (83 – 38 shots and 45 chances created) ranks third in terms of shot participations across the top five European leagues in 2026, behind only Lamine Yamal (100) and Deniz Undav (84)

Federico Dimarco (22, seven goals and 15 assists) and Alessandro Bastoni (eight, two goals and six assists) are the two Serie A defenders who have been involved in the most goals since August across all competitions.

OPPONENTS: COMO

Fresh off a 3-1 win over Lecce (goals from Douvikas, Rodriguez, and Kempf), Cesc Fàbregas' Como have leapfrogged Juventus in the Serie A standings, moving up to fifth place with 48 points – one more than the Bianconeri. With 46 goals scored, the Larians have the third-best attack in the league behind Inter and Juventus. At the other end, they have the second-best defensive record with just 20 goals conceded, level with AC Milan and just one more than Roma.

In their last five league matches, Fabregas' side have beaten Lecce and Juventus, drawn with Atalanta and AC Milan, and lost to Fiorentina. In the Coppa Italia, Como have had a long journey, starting from the first round: they defeated Südtirol 3-1 in August (Douvikas brace, Da Cunha) before knocking out Sassuolo with a 3-0 victory thanks to a Rodriguez brace and a goal from Douvikas. The Lariani then eliminated Fiorentina in the round of 16 (3-1, goals from Sergi Roberto, Nico Paz, and Morata), followed by a 7-6 penalty shootout victory over Napoli after a 1-1 draw in the 90 minutes (Baturina scoring).

Como are known for their possession-based, attacking style, and Fabregas sets his side up in a 4-2-3-1 system that relies on the skill and imagination of his players. Greek forward Tasos Douvikas leads the scoring charts with twelve goals across all competitions, followed by Nico Paz on ten.

DISCIPLINARY SITUATION

SUSPENDED Como: -Inter: -

ONE BOOKING AWAY FROM SUSPENSION Como: Diego Carlos, Kühn, Morata, Paz, Ramón J., Roberto S., Van der Brempt Inter: Esposito, Kamate, Sucic

REFEREE

Marco Di Bello will take charge of the match at the Sinigaglia. Referee: Di Bello Assistants: Peretti - Colarossi Fourth official: Zufferli VAR: Mazzoleni AVAR: Maresca

UPDATES ON INTER TV

You'll find all the usual updates and pre-match coverage on Inter TV. Our Livematch show before Como vs. Inter will go live at 20:15 CET and also be available on the Club's official YouTube channel until 20:50 CET. After the game, stay tuned for full post-match coverage, including analysis, insights, and interviews.

Sonic and Knuckles will not play together in 2026.

The Detroit Lions are reportedly trading running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. In return, the Lions will get:

• Texans’ 4th-round pick
• OL Juice Scruggs
• Texans 7th-round pick

There was clearly some tension between Montgomery and the Lions after the 2025 season, in which Montgomery saw his usage decline with the rise of Jahmyr Gibbs. Just last week, Lions general manager Brad Holmes suggested that there were still 0ngoing talks between the Lions and Montgomery.

“Obviously, look, we love David. He’s a great player. We would love to have him. Kind of want to put last year in the rearview and just move forward. But a player has to want to be at a certain place as well, so those conversations are still fluid and we’re just kind of seeing how it goes,” Holmes said last week.

With the move, the Lions will clear up just north of $3.5 million in cap space, but now they have a significant need at the second running back position.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the start of free agency next week, but the trade market is heating up just one week out, and the Bears have been a hot topic of conversation. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, wide receiver DJ Moore and quarterback Tyson Bagent have been mentioned as potential trade options for Chicago.

Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, who's entering the final year of his rookie contract, was reportedly garnering trade interest with teams inquiring about his availability. But Bears insider Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune clarified Dexter trade rumors, saying that Chicago has no intention of trading the former second-round defensive tackle.

"They're not taking (trade) calls on him," Biggs said on 104.3 The Score on Monday. "They're not making calls on him...I'm reporting nothing is happening on that... They've got two defensive tackles under contract, they're not looking to move one," Biggs said. "Gervon Dexter will be with the Bears next season."

Dexter, 24, started all 17 games with the Bears last season, where he totaled 44 tackles, including six tackles for loss, six sacks, 11 QB hits and two fumble recoveries.

Chicago's biggest need this offseason is defensive tackle, where Dexter and Jarrett are the only players under contract. There's uncertainty about their futures beyond 2026, with Dexter hitting free agency and Jarrett getting up there in age. But there's a bigger need for a short-term solution for 2026, which is why trading Dexter wouldn't make sense for the Bears. They need to add defensive tackles, not get rid of them.

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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears insider sets record straight about Gervon Dexter trade rumors

Arsenal achieved the earliest ‘St. Totteringham’s Day’ in history on Sunday, but the Gunners still have one more record to try and break in the final nine games.

Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

As covered early last week, Arsenal had the opportunity to confirm their earliest-ever finish over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, excluding seasons where the two clubs didn’t play in the same division.

The Gunners needed either a win over Chelsea, or for Spurs to fail to beat Fulham. In the end, Arsenal didn’t need to wait until their 16:30 kick-off, with Spurs themselves losing to confirm their failure to finish above the Gunners.

That result made March 1st the new record earliest date of ‘St. Totteringham’s Day’, the day invented by Arsenal fans for when they confirm a finish above their north London rivals.

But it also meant the Gunners achieved the feat with 10 games to play, a joint record shared with the 2003/04 ‘Invincibles’ side. Sky Sports rounded up the previous earliest dates in the graphic below:

Arsenal still have one more north London rivalry record in their sights, with the Gunners having the chance to achieve their greatest-ever points difference over Spurs at the conclusion of the season.

The current record stands at 45 points, again achieved by the 2003/04 team playing under Arsene Wenger.

Mikel Arteta’s side sit 35 points clear of Spurs, having played a game more. So it’s still possible for Arsenal to finish 46+ points ahead of Igor Tudor’s side, but both teams will need to keep picking up the same kinds of results they have been for the remainder of the campaign.

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Arsenal’s primary focus is obviously on winning trophies, and they’ll value a Premier League title far more than a record-breaking finish above Spurs.

But given the way to achieve those two ends is just to keep winning matches, there’s no harm in hoping for both.

Uefa sanctioned the London club for the behaviour, imposing a €30,000 (£26,212) fine