In the football world, navigating player and supporter safety during and after games is key, and this consideration may lead to the postponement of the UEFA Champions League clash between Como and Manchester United.

United's Champions League league phase clash away to Como is at serious risk of being postponed due to severe weather warnings in northern Italy.

The Italian Air Force National Meteorological Service issued an orange weather alert across the Lombardy region, with torrential rainfall placing the playing surface at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia in heavy jeopardy ahead of the scheduled fixture against Cesc Fabregas' side.

Severe weather warning puts Como vs Manchester United in doubt

Heavy rainfall in northern Italy have left the playing surface at the 13,600-capacity Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia waterlogged, with meteorologists forecasting up to 64mm of rain in the hours leading up to kickoff on Wednesday evening.

Local authorities in Lombardy issued an orange alert, the second-highest severe weather warning, signaling hazardous conditions including heavy downpours and lightning threats.

The alert is in place for 24 hours, starting in the early hours of Wednesday morning and ending in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Como's home stadium has only one covered stand, with the other three stands completely unprotected from adverse weather conditions, making fan safety and pitch drainage paramount concerns as local ground staff and UEFA delegate officials monitor the situation ahead of the pitch inspection.

While not exactly the same scenario, the FIFA World Cup this summer had games affected by heavy rain and lightning threats, including the group stage meeting between France and Iraq, whose restart was delayed by over two hours after the first half.

In these cases, the safety of the players and fans, particularly given the open-air nature of Como's home, will be prioritised, and the game may be postponed if the weather does not improve.

UEFA postponement rules and Carrick's reaction

According to Article 27 of the 2026-27 UEFA Disciplinary and Competition Regulations, if a match cannot start or finish due to adverse weather or waterlogged conditions, the primary objective is to reschedule the fixture for the following day (Thursday).

This could be a problem for the Serie A side, who are due to face Sassuolo in the Italian top-flight on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester United will have less of a problem with the arrangement, as they do not return to league action until Sunday, when they will face fellow European campaigners Bournemouth, who take on AC Milan on Thursday.

In the event that the postponed game does not take place on Thursday, UEFA retain the authority to reschedule it for any other date at the same stadium where it was originally meant to take place.

Como needed special permission to host Champions League games at their stadium, which sits directly on the southern shore of Lake Como.

Despite the threat of a postponement, Red Devils boss Michael Carrick was confident of the match going on as planned when he spoke in his press conference, stating that he has no problem playing in the rain.

"No, nothing immediate from me, we're used to the rain. We'll make the most of it!"

Carrick and his team are under pressure to deliver a result in northern Italy, having won just two games in ten attempts so far this season.

One of their wins came against Champions League debutants Sabah, and they will be pushing strongly for a first win in seven outings.

They will meet several familiar faces in Italy, with academy graduate Willy Kambwala and England international Trevoh Chalobah among Como's players.