José Mourinho could soon lead the Benfica, a rival of Naples in the Champions League, which would reactivate a historical rivalry with Antonio Conte. Their relationship is marked by verbal clashes and past incidents, dating back to a famous Chelsea-Porto match where Conte had humiliated Mourinho with a score of 4-0. Field and corridor altercations also illustrated their antagonism. After acerbic exchange, Mourinho ended up declaring peace, but tensions reappeared, notably after Conte’s disqualification following a 2011 investigation, the latter reproaching him for wanting to insult without knowing the truth. Despite a recent verbal agreement, more recent statements have revived their animosity.

In parallel, journalist Paolo Condòtorna highlights Naples’s recruitment policy, welcoming Giovanni Manna’s intuition with the arrival of Kevin De Bruyne, as well as the successful operations with Scott McTominay and Rasmus Højlund, who represent talented players from more important clubs but who have not always had the opportunity to flourish. Condòtorna highlights Naples’ ability to identify and acquire quality players through an effective marketing strategy, citing the transfers from Chiesa to the Juventus and Pogba to Manchester United as particularly successful examples. He hopes that the young Turkish talent, Yıldız, will remain at the Juventus for a long time.

For Naples, qualifying in the Champions League represents a historic opportunity, after an absence due to poor performance the previous season. The team is motivated to break a taboo: it never managed to defeat an English rival in the European competition, with a disastrous score of 12 matches (9 defeats, 3 draws). The 4-1 defeat against Chelsea in the Champions League is particularly striking. This meeting against Manchester City is therefore seen as an opportunity to rewrite history and overcome this historic challenge.