Conte Looking to Keep His Upper-Hand Over Guardiola | OneFootball

Napoli will make their Champions League return against one of the top contenders, Manchester City, but can lean on the fact that Antonio Conte is no stranger to facing Pep Guardiola. He’s one of the few coaches with a positive record against the Spaniard, Corriere dello Sport informs.

The Italian gaffer only trails Luis Enrique as far as the winning percentage against the Sky Blues boss is concerned. He’s been successful in 57 percent of the games, while the PSG skipper in 60. Jürgen Klopp has tallied up the most victories, 11, but in 30 games. He’s also the only other coach with a positive balance, having lost on 10 occasions. José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti can’t say the same.

Conte and Guardiola have never shared the spoils during their duels over the years. The last meeting dates to February 2023, when Tottenham bested Manchester City one-nil. Instead, the first one happened in December 2016, when Chelsea prevailed three-one away.

The Sky Blues took home the next two fixtures, then the former Azzurri and Juventus manager gained the upper hand during his time with Tottenham.

Conte leads Guardiola 4-3 in their head-to-head clashes heading into their first bout on the continental stage. The Napoli boss will have the entire squad at his disposal but Romelu Lukaku, who’s out long term due to a severe thigh injury. Alex Meret returned to full training after being a late scratch for the Fiorentina tilt. Miguel Gutierrez and David Neres were available for the last game after missing time due to injury.

Thursday’s game will mark the return of Kevin De Bruyne to the Etihad Stadium four months after leaving.